Never Alone
by BehindThePurpleSmoke
Summary: Slightly AU. Begins at the goodbye scene in Episode 3x11, and jumps into Emma's new life in New York a couple days later. Emma and Hook shared a night together after rescuing Henry from Peter Pan, but what happened between them didn't get erased with Pan's curse like everything else. What if Hook left Emma with one huge goodbye gift...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! **

**This is my first stab at FanFiction in the Once Upon A Time realm, and Im just so happily surprised that anyone is here at all, quite honestly. This idea got into my head a while back, and my muse is just unable to let it go. I know that I will thoroughly regret this, because I am extremely busy with life right now, but I literally can't stop thinking about writing this, so here I am. **

**So.. See the end of the chapter for anything else I might think of saying… and enjoy Chapter 1!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of it's characters… what a disappointment :'(**

**CHAPTER 1- The Impossible**

* * *

"Not a day will go by that I won't go by that I won't think of you," Hook manages to get out, with none of his usual cocky cracks at flattery or flirtation. For the first time, there is no attempt at lightening the mood or at throwing out a coarse, barely disguised sexual innuendo.

"Good," I choke out, trying desperately to keep myself together. _Come on, Emma,_ I think to myself_, in a couple minutes you won't ever even remember that he existed. Soon, he'll be nothing, so there is no use trying to drag this on. _

I turn away, trying to ignore his deep, blue-eyed gaze boring a hole into my back. For the first time in my whole life, I'm thankful for growing up an orphan, because it taught me how to keep my emotions in check. I manage to turn away before those damn traitor tears that are filling my eyes find their way out where everyone can see them.

I've never even really thought about what Hook really means to mean anyways. He's just there, and somehow, even with walls of steel, he found his way inside. Trying to apply any normal word- boyfriend, fling, crush, one-night stand, date- to the strange relationship we have just sounded downright weird. I decide not to worry about it though, because Hook was a part of my past, not my future.

How very wrong I turned out to be.

As Henry and I finally drive away, he is the last thing I see as the purple cloud envelopes them and hides them from my view forever.

Even from that distance, I don't miss the single tear falling from his eye, and his one good hand wiping it away before anyone around him notices.

* * *

**(About two weeks later)**

I'd been having such a good dream, and suddenly I bolt awake, not knowing what jolted me out of my sleep for a moment. And then I feel it, and bolt to the bathroom on the side of my room as quickly as humanly possible. I barely make it to the toilet before I start throwing up over the side. This is the third time this week that my first duty of the morning has been to, well, throw up.

_Maybe I caught some sort of bug from Henry, _I muse_, after all, little school kids are always sick. Henry must have brought something home with him._

Satisfied with that rational conclusion, I begin to brush my teeth in a methodical fashion, going over every tooth several times. When the taste of vomit has been cleaned from my mouth, I jump in the shower and get ready for work.

As usual, it takes me thirty minutes to get ready, and I go downstairs to start breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, orange juice, and the preparation of breakfast soothes me, because patterns and normalcy allow me to forget the craziness from earlier.

"Morning, Mom," Henry calls out as he takes a seat at the table and starts stuffing his homework into his backpack.

"Morning, kid," I respond, and then frown at him. "Why didn't you get your backpack ready last night?"

Henry just stares at me. "Mom, I just got to Level 10 of my new video game last night. I couldn't just _get up and pack my backpack."_

I laugh. Henry has always been obsessed with video games, and I've learned not to mess with his Xbox. "Of course, Henry, how stupid of me to forget."

As we start on breakfast, I try to make myself seem as nonchalant and casual as possible as I try to covertly get some answers from Henry. "So, is the flu starting to go around your school yet?"

Henry stares at me, and it's moments like these that make me hate how perceptive he is. "Why?"

"I don't know, just wondering if we need to get our flu shots yet," I shrug, actually proud of my reasonable response, but Henry doesn't miss how my cheeks get red, and we finish breakfast in a rather awkward silence.

* * *

_This is getting really lame and annoying, _I think as I sit gasping for breath in front of the toilet. It's been another week of ritual-like morning dashes to the toilet as I empty the contents of my stomach- which isn't all that much really, because I've barely been eating. The smell of most foods has become revolting, especially when I walked into my usual coffee shop yesterday after work. The smell had made me gag, and I made for the bathroom at the back of the store. Thankfully, it was empty, so no one gave me weird looks as I heaved into the first open toilet.

Needless to say, I didn't get any coffee that day.

I passed a drugstore on my way home, and decided to go in and talk to one of the pharmacists inside and see if I could figure out what was wrong with me without a trip to the doctors. I hate doctors, in fact, I've been successful in evading them since Henry's birth, and I wasn't about to change that now.

I made for the pharmacy, and waited for the line to die down. When it was finally my turn, I realized that my throat had dried and my palms were sweaty. _Emma, calm down. _

"Hi, I've been feeling nauseous and tired for a while, is there any over the counter medicines that I could take that might help?"

The pharmacist, a middle-aged woman named Cathy, just stares at me. "How long has this been going on?" There is a knowing glint in her eyes, and I'm feeling a little nervous now.

"A week, maybe two…" I say, realizing just how bad that sounds. Typical stubborn Emma, only going for help after evading it for as long as possible.

"Having any sensitivity to foods, or certain smells?"

"Yes. Coffee, about twenty minutes ago, actually." I wonder how she could have possibly known.

"When was your last period?"

"What?" I blanch. Nobody has ever asked about my period so upfrontly. "What does that have to do with..Oh..no, I don't think..."

The lady looks amused, and I curse myself for not connecting the dots. It's been 5 weeks since my last period, maybe even longer. I squint, trying to remember, but for the life of me, I can't, and everything seems really hazy.

"I can't be, ma'am," I say confidently. "I haven't slept with anyone for years."

She puts a comforting hand on my arm. "Honey, we all do things we might regret. You might have been so drunk that it's all blacked out from your memory."

I jerk my arm away from this rather upfront and rude woman and give her a glare before I storm off. But, just to prove her wrong, I grab a pregnancy kit on the way out, and ignore the cashier's pointed stare at me as she checks me out.

The first thing I did when I got home was go inside my bathroom and lock the door. Thankfully, Henry wasn't home yet, so I didn't have any explaining to do. I honestly don't even know what I would have said.

The five minute wait proves to be so stressful that my hands start shaking and I have to sit on the edge of the bathtub while I wait.

_There is absolutely no way. I haven't slept with anyone for years, and haven't been to a bar or club for months. _The words sound so confident and reassuring in my head that I begin to relax, and by the time the beeper goes off five minutes after I take the test I'm feeling back to normal.

"There, nothing to be worried about, Emma," I comfort myself as I grab the stick, already thinking of what I should make for dinner.

And then I choke as I stare at the small screen, clearly adorned with a "plus" sign.

Everything seems to be happening in slow motion but really fast all at the same time. I don't remember dashing to my phone, but I'm already flipping through my contacts list and trying to find the number for the family doctor that Henry goes to every year.

As I wait for someone to pick up on the other end, I just stare at the stick that I'm still holding in my hand. It's impossible for me to be pregnant, but I can't think of anything else that could be wrong with me. Flu season was long over, and I usually never got sick. But, even while it was the only rational explanation, it was also the only impossible one.

"Hello, my name is Emma Swan," I say as a woman finally picks up on the other end. "Can I get an appointment with Dr. Rebecca Leach as soon as possible?"

I get an appointment for that Thursday, and I'm sure the woman was wondering why I seemed so harried and rushed on the phone. I just wanted to prove to myself that there was nothing seriously wrong with me, and just get back to a normal life with Henry.

Three days later, I found myself in a pristine white office, surrounded my magazines and children running around while their mothers tried to get them to sit down. I was slowly starting to accept the fact that there was actually a baby growing inside my body, because there was no other explanation. Morning sickness. Sensitivity to certain smells. And I caught myself eating pickles out of a jar yesterday, even though I absolutely hate pickles. I had no idea who the father was, or if there even was a father. For all I knew, I could be pregnant with the next Jesus, and I wasn't even a really religious person.

"Emma Swan?"

A lady with a clipboard ushers me into the hallway, and bids me to step on a scale. I've never been self-conscious about my weight, I've been 125 pounds since I gave birth to Henry a decade ago, and it had never really changed.

"130 pounds," The nurse announces, and I get off the scale, feeling shocked. _No, _I internally scream, _this can't be happening!_

"You can wait for Dr. Leach here," The nurse says, and she closes the door and I settle down on the thin white paper covering the seat.

Unconsciously, my hands stray to my still flat belly. I try to explain away the weight gain with the pizza Henry and I had ordered for dinner last night, and the nausea and throwing up to some weird bug in my immune system. When the door opened ten minutes later, I jerked my hands off of my belly and forced a weak smile.

"Hey, Emma, how's Henry doing?" Dr. Leach smiles at me as she slips on a pair of gloves and sits on a black stool.

"He's great," I say. "Still playing video games and eating pizza." I grin as I remember how heated Henry had gotten when I joined in his game last night and "messed it up."

"So, what brought you in today?"

"I think I might be going crazy, Doctor," I blurt out, and then wince. That was not what I'd been planning on saying.

She arches an eyebrow at me in concern and I suddenly start spilling everything- the throwing up, the incident at the coffee shop, the exhaustion in my bones when I get home from work, the pickles. Finally, I take a deep breath and realize that she was the first person I'd admitted my fears to. I'm a loner, and for the first time, I wish I did have some kind of friend to talk with.

"But I haven't had sex for years," I whisper in desperation. "I think I'm literally pregnant with the next baby Jesus."

"Emma, lets not jump to any conclusions." Dr. Leach tries to smile. "But I think you are pregnant, honestly. I'm going to take some blood work, and then if you want, we can use the ultrasound machine in the other room to check right now."

"Okay," I whisper, feeling the thickness in my throat that heralded a full-out mental breakdown.

"Emma," Dr. Leach senses my agitation. "Someone might have taken advantage of you while you were in a very drunk stupor."

She thought I'd been raped. I don't know how to feel about that, but I know it's impossible. I've been so busy with the move after our apartment in Boston burned down that I hadn't been anywhere remotely fun for nearly a month and a half. I don't try to contradict her, though, because I know she wouldn't believe me. Nobody would. I hardly believed myself.

"It doesn't matter who the father is," She tells me fiercely. "The father is in the past, and you probably won't see him ever again. What matters is that your baby is healthy."

As her firm words echo around my brain, I know some memory is associated them, but I can't remember what it could be. So I just nod and follow Dr. Leach out of the room we were in, across a hallway, and into a room with a big machine with a screen inside.

I stare silently as she wipes a cool gel over my bare stomach. Vividly, memories of being taken for ultrasounds while pregnant with Henry come to mind, and I feel tears starting to ooze out. I hadn't dared look at the monitor with Henry, for fear of bonding with him. It was only after he was born that I weakened my resolve, asked the doctor to let me hold him, and fallen in love.

"Emma." Dr. Leach speaks steadily. "There it is." She points to a darker blob on the screen of the monitor. "Emma, you're pregnant."

I just stare at the blob in shock. I'd never looked with Henry, and now I realized I was entranced. I already loved this little _thing _growing inside of me with all of my heart.

In reality, I'd known. Some deeper part of my subconsciousness had already accepted this reality from the very first morning I'd thrown up, but I hadn't dared admit it to myself until now. I'd been so scared, so worried about how this impossible event had happened, but now I hardly cared how or why. All I knew was that I was getting a second chance, and no one was going to come and mess it up.

"How many weeks?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

"Eight weeks." She says. "Do you want me to print a picture out?"

Somehow, I'd gotten pregnant just before our apartment in Boston had burned down, and Henry and I had moved out here to New York. I try to think to myself if there was anything or anyone, but I was positive that there was no sleeping with any man at all.

"Yes." I reply, surprising myself."Thank you."

I put the newly printed picture carefully into my purse and let Dr. Leach wipe the gel off.

"You can schedule a follow up at the front desk." She adds. "And Emma- congratulations."

I just nod, and when I walk out onto the sidewalk a couple minutes later, I come to the conclusion that the identity of the father hardly matters. I raised Henry without a father, and I could do it again for this baby. Also, sometimes I wish I could completely forget that Neal was Henry's father. I was getting a clean slate with this baby, and I was actually thankful. I rub my belly and quietly whisper to it, as if expecting an answer, "Who is your daddy, little baby?"

I get none, and I realize I don't really want one either.

* * *

**Hi again! So… what do you think? Boring? Should I just stop now or do you want to see how this plays out?**

**Thank you so much for actually reading this! I'm so honored. **

**Also…**

**I decided that I will update on Sundays. I know today is Saturday, but I had a relaxing weekend so I managed to finish early. I won't follow the Sunday update like it is a commandment or anything, but it's just a way for me to make sure you get at least one chapter a week, but probably, you'll end up getting more. :)**

**Thanks again, and bye for now. Review maybe? Even if it's criticism, as long as it's CONSTRUCTIVE AND NOT EXTREMELY MEAN. I don't really do well with that. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I was so pleasantly surprised by the response to the first chapter, so here is another one! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm because I am totally excited now and all my misgivings about writing this have gone out the window. So… without further ado- Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time. If I did, Killian and I would be vacationing on our own private island right now. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 2- Turbulence**

**(Eight weeks later)**

There was no hiding my surprise pregnancy from Henry anymore. I'd wondered, several times, if Henry knew, but if he did, he hadn't said a word. When we went shopping two days ago, he had raised his eyebrows when he saw me throw four boxes of Double Stuff Oreos into the basket, but said nothing.

When I'd been pregnant with Henry, I had only gained about fifteen pounds, and my bump had barely been showing at the six month mark. With this pregnancy, I felt like a whale, though, and I was only four months in. Everything about this baby was different. I had barely acknowledged the existence of Henry throughout my whole pregnancy, not even stroking my belly or talking to him when he would kick. I had been too afraid to get attached to the nameless, faceless child inside of me.

Currently, I was sitting at the table, eating ice cream out of the carton, and waiting for Henry to come home from school. I'd decided that I would tell him today, and I was really nervous. What if he thought I didn't love him anymore? What if he would be jealous of this new addition to our little family? What if he didn't even want a sibling?

I had managed to work myself into such an awful state of distress that I didn't even realize that I'd finished the whole carton of chocolate ice cream in front of me. _Huh. No wonder I'm gaining more weight with this pregnancy. It's not like you can get ice cream or Oreos in jail. _

I'd managed to hide the bump pretty well, with some loose clothing and my thick red coat, but I knew I hadn't fooled anyone. While loading the groceries into the car a couple days ago, a man had offered to help me, and I knew it was because of the somewhat obvious bump. I'd wondered whether to be offended or to just accept it, but in the end, I'd let him help, mostly because I didn't want a scene and I wanted him to be gone by the time Henry got back from the Redbox machine with his movie. Luckily, there had been a long line at the Redbox, so it had taken Henry several minutes to get his movie, and he didn't see a thing.

Suddenly, I heard a creaking sound as the door opened, and a moment later, Henry walked in. He carelessly threw his backpack in the general direction of the couches, and ambled over to see what was cooking for dinner.

"Hey, Mom," Henry greeted me. "Do you have my permission slip?"

"What permission slip?" I asked, my forehead creased in concentration as I tried to recall something about a permission slip. Unconsciously, my hand strayed to my belly, and when I realized that Henry's eyes were still trained on me, I changed direction midcourse and brushed my hair back instead.

"Mom," Henry said patiently. "I've been telling you to sign my permission slip for two weeks. If I don't turn it in tomorrow., I won't be able to go to the Zoo with my class next week."

I sighed as I finally remembered that small slip of paper Henry had handed me last week. I had no idea where it may be, and for some ridiculous reason, I felt myself begin to tear up.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "You probably think I'm an awful mother."

Henry looked horrified at the sudden escalation. "Mom, it's ok. You're the best mom ever, and I asked Mrs. Connor to give me another slip because I knew you lost the first one."

I was embarrassed at my sudden outburst. I usually never cried, and I would never have imagined myself crying over a damn permission slip, of all things. Henry ran over to his backpack, and when he returned, he was holding a paper and pen. I quickly signed the paper, and suddenly, his warm body pressed against my own, and he kissed my wet cheek. "Mom, I love you, and you're a great mom. I'm so glad you didn't give me away."

I'd told Henry the story of his birth many times, of how close I'd been to giving him up for adoption, and how I'd changed my mind at the last moment. Being the amazing human being that he was, he never held it against me, and instead told me he would have understand, even if I did give him up. When I'd been his age, I never understood why my parents gave me up, and I had spent long nights crying and hating them. Henry always said that I would have given up to give him his best chance, and he insists my parents gave me up for the same reason. I would just stare at him and wondered how a tiny boy could be so wise, but then he would smile, and say he was so thankful that I'd kept him and that he couldn't imagine a better life.

"I love you, kid," I whispered, still holding him tightly and burying my face in his hair.

"Mom?" Henry gasped. "I can't breathe!"

"I'm sorry!" I gasped. "Look, I told you, I have no idea how to be a mother! I could have hurt you!"

Henry pulled out the stool next to mine and looked at me for a minute before saying anything. "Mom, I need to tell you something."

"Okay." I said, trying to appear nonchalant, but I knew exactly what was coming. He knew about the baby, and he had beat me to starting the conversation.

"Mom, you're pregnant." Henry said, without a heartbeat's hesitation. "It's fairly obvious- the Oreos, the ice cream, the baggy clothes, the memory lapses and the tears. I've known for weeks now."

"When did you find out?" I whispered, amazed at his attention to detail.

"Remember when we watched _The Princess Bride _last month?" He asked me. "I saw you stroking your belly, and you didn't even notice me staring. And the whole craving thing and forgetting my permission slip ten times didn't hurt either."

I just gaped at him for several moments, not knowing what to say at first. And then I remembered that Henry was old enough to understand, and anyways, I'd always known that Henry was wise beyond his years.

"This is going to sound crazy," I begin. "Even the doctors didn't believe me."

Henry just stared and waited patiently for me to continue. "I don't know who the father is. I can't remember being… you know, _with anyone_, for years."

"Mom, there has to be a dad," Henry told me quietly. "I think I know why you can't remember, though."

"Why?" I asked, my throat suddenly dry.

"My dad scared you." Henry replied simply. "After him, you can't trust any man. Maybe you were drunk, and maybe your past helped too. You're just blotting him out, because my dad didn't deserve me, and neither does this baby's father deserve him or her."

I stared at Henry for a long moment in amazement. Leave it to Henry to figure out what was going on, when I had sat and pondered the question for hours and come up blank. "Are you sure?" I asked, but Henry was making sense.

"I know I am." Henry said confidently. "This baby's father doesn't deserve him or her, and rather than even dwell on the dad, you purposefully chose to forget him right away. You didn't want to go through the heartbreak or the feeling of abandonment again."

"I thought I was pregnant with the next baby Jesus." I laughed shakily, and Henry grinned.

"Mom, one more thing," Henry said, as an afterthought. "This time, you won't be alone. You won't have to raise this baby by yourself, because I'm never leaving you, no matter what my dad or this baby's dad did. I'm staying, and I'm going to help you, and I'll be the best brother ever."

"Henry…," I trailed off, unsure of how to follow that beautiful confession. "I love you so much. I know I don't express it often enough, but I'm so proud of you. I lucked out in life with you, and with this baby." I gently rubbed my belly with one hand and hugged Henry with the other.

This time, Henry made no attempt to stop my tears or wriggle away from my embrace. We sat like that for a long time, in a content silence, until Henry spoke again. "Mom," he asked hesitantly. "Can I touch your belly?"

I pulled my shirt up, exposing my thin tank top and leaning back and guiding Henry's hand to my belly. "Hi, little brother or sister," Henry said, gently rubbing my belly. "I'm Henry, your big brother. I love you so much and I can't wait to meet you. I'll always protect you and we're going to be great friends. I love you."

Suddenly, something shifted inside me and I gasped in shock. Henry drew back immediately, and began apologizing profusely. "Mom, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you ok?"

Once I got over the shock, a small smile spread over my face and I felt myself tearing up, for the third time that night. "Put your hand back," I whispered, guiding his hand back to where I'd felt the little butterfly kicks. "Can you feel it moving?"

Henry stayed silent for several minutes in deep concentration, and when the kicks started up again, he gazed up at me in wonder, his face stretched in an ecstatic grin. "That's the first time she's done that," I whispered, my voice full of joy. "She knows you already and loves you so much."

"She?" Henry gazed up at me, his gaze half excited and half accusing, wondering how I could have kept all of this a secret for so long.

"I just know," I said confidently. "The doctor didn't say anything yet, but I just know it's a she."

* * *

It was the day of Henry's field trip to the Central Park Zoo, and he had woken up this morning in a state of excitement. I had promised to print out all the pictures he took with his camera, and Henry had run out of the apartment ten minutes early, looking like an excited Kindergartener on the first day of school.

Ever since Henry and I had talked about the pregnancy last week, and I'd found out he was excited to be a big brother, I'd stopped trying to hide the junk food obsession and the baby bump under some oversized clothes. In a way, telling someone about my pregnancy had made it real, and I couldn't hide from it anymore. I had finally embraced the joy that I'd never felt with Henry, and now I understood the meaning of the term "pregnancy glow."

I decided to go to the mall and see if I could find any clothes for me or the baby. My clothes were starting to get tight, and I'd admitted defeat and decided to go shopping. I'd just gotten out of the shower when I first felt it. A painful spasm passed through my abdomen, and I gasped from the feeling of the white-hot pain. I got dressed slowly, leaning against my bed, afraid to move suddenly least I feel the spasm again.

Deciding to leave the mall for another day, I wrapped my wet hair in a towel and went to lay down for a couple minutes, suddenly feeling very tired. Another spasm- no contraction passed through my body, more painful and much longer this time.

I froze in horror. I was only 17 weeks into my pregnancy, the baby couldn't be coming yet. My hands strayed to my swollen belly and I started rubbing comforting circles, not knowing what else to do. Tears pricked at my eyes, because I had just started getting excited and now the baby was dead. When I felt a kick, suddenly, relief spread through my taut body and I relaxed. If the baby was kicking, there couldn't be anything wrong. Minutes later, my eyes closed and I fell asleep with a small smile on my face.

* * *

I awoke in stages, slowly coming back to consciousness and then falling back into darkness again. I tried to force my eyes open, or just move my hand, but my body wasn't cooperating. I started to hear people talking above me, but I couldn't make out any of the words. After a couple of minutes, or hours, the voices got clearer, and it was like I'd been hearing them from the other side of the ocean and now they were standing right next to me.

"I found her like this," A voice I immediately recognized as Henry's, said. "She wasn't waking up, and I saw the blood."

Blood? What blood? I struggled to remember something, anything, but my mind was drawing up a blank. I missed all of the next part of the conversation, and the voices started to fade away again. I fought the darkness, trying to understand what was happening, but finally I gave in. It was just so much easier, and I was so fucking tired and confused. _This is all a bad dream, _I thought slowly, _When I wake up everything will be fine. _

Sirens. Red and blue lights pierced the darkness, and even through my closed eyelids, I could see the colors flashing vividly. There were voices everywhere, yelling, and I felt like I was drowning in them.

And then, finally, everything went quiet. I was surrounded by white everywhere, and the commotion was gone. I didn't know what was real anymore, whether I'd imagined the commotion or if this was real.

A door that I hadn't noticed opened, and a man dressed all in black walked, a sharp contrast to the stark white of the room I was in. He was handsome, but looked like he'd just stepped out of a Halloween party, with his rings and pirate attire.

"Hold on, love," He whispered quietly, his hypnotizing blue eyes boring into my own. "Everything is going to be alright."

"I know you," I whispered. I was positive I'd seen this man with the blue eyes before. "Who are you?"

"A ghost," He whispered. A sudden noise outside the room caused him to look up and start walking away.

"Wait! Don't go!" I cried out. "I have to know who you are!"

"I will find you," He swore quietly. "I will always find you."

And then he walked out, closed the door,, and it was like he'd never even been there to start with. The darkness enveloped me again, and I was floating away again, but those blue eyes were burned into my mind, and even in my dreams, I knew that he was always watching me.

* * *

"Mom. Mom." I felt someone stroking my forehead gently. "Mom. Mom!"

My eyes fluttered open, and I was in the white room again. "Where is he?" I asked Henry immediately. "The man with the blue eyes, do you know where he went?"

"Mom, there was no man in here." Henry said in confusion. "You were sick, really sick when I came home. I called the ambulance and they brought you here right away."

"That explains the red and blue sirens," I said under my breath. "He was in here, in this room before you came in."

"I was here the whole time." Henry looked worried now. "I was waiting for you here when you were… with the doctors."

"What doctor?" I asked in horror. And then everything started coming back to me. The baby. The painful spasms earlier. I had gone to sleep, thinking everything was alright, when I should have been rushing here. _The baby._ _The spasms..._

"The baby!" I gasped, barely able to speak through my tears. I heard a monitor behind me start beeping loudly. "Henry, the baby!"

"Mom, I'm sorry," Henry whispered, tears filling his own eyes now. "But he died, before we got to the hospital. There was nothing anyone could do."

"No," I whispered, rubbing my still swollen belly, refusing to believe it. "Right before I fell asleep, I felt it kicking me. It's not dead, that's impossible!"

"This is all my fault. I killed it. I should have come here, maybe the baby would still be alive if I did!" I cursed my stupidity, wondering what I'd been thinking.

"There were two babies." Henry whispered. "You had twins."

"Twins?" I asked in confusion. "No, the OB said there was only one baby."

"She was wrong." Henry said quietly. "That's why you felt a baby kicking you."

"The other baby…" I trailed off, not even daring to hope that one of the babies was still alive.

"She's fine." Henry whispered, a smile lighting up his face. "The doctor said it's a girl, and that she's fine."

I didn't know how to feel. I felt guilty about being happy that one of the babies was still alive when the other one had died, and it had been my fault, no matter what Henry said. I'd known I couldn't be a mother, and just when I'd thought I could be a mother, this had happened. Maybe this was a sign to give up the other baby once it was born. The excitement I'd been feeling for the past couple of days evaporated, and suddenly I felt awful.

"Mom, don't blame yourself." Henry said, as if reading my mind. "The doctor said there was something wrong with the other baby. It wasn't your fault, because the baby wouldn't have made it even if you came here right away."

I just shook my head, not ready to accept this. It had been my fault, no matter what Henry said. "I can't be a mother."

"You already are. You're a great mother." Henry said quietly. "You don't need to be scared, Mom. You don't have to do this alone, like you had to with me. I'm not leaving you, _ever_, and I'm going to help you with the baby."

"Thank you." I whispered. I didn't know what to do, but all I could do was try. For the baby's sake, for Henry's sake. I was not going to send my daughter into the foster system, not after what I'd gone through in there. "Henry, I need you." I said. I never spoke my feelings out loud, because I hated revealing myself, and then being abandoned. But Henry wasn't Neal, or the baby's father, or anyone else who had abandoned me, and I wasn't scared. "I need your help."

"I will always help you, and I'm not going anywhere." Henry vowed. "Now try to get some rest. The other baby needs to rest."

"I saw someone," I began. "He said he would always find me."

"Mom, you were really sick. The doctor said you lost a lot of blood. You were probably just hallucinating, and disoriented."

"He was real." I insisted stubbornly. I know what I'd seen, and I wasn't _imagining _things. I would find this man, and when I did, I would demand to know exactly who he was and what he wanted from me.

"The doctor said you can go home tomorrow, but you need to rest tonight." Henry was obviously trying to steer the conversation away from my hallucination.

I was too tired to argue with him, so I just closed my eyes. The instant I closed my eyes, the man with the blue eyes appeared in my drug-filled dreams, but he would always disappear, shattering into a million pieces of glass, when I got close enough to touch him.

* * *

**So… Emma was going to have twins! I wanted Emma and Killian to have a girl, which is why I chose the sex of the remaining baby to be a girl. I've also seen many FanFictions use the name "Hope" for their daughter, but I don't know if I like that. I was going to choose something different, but if you have any suggestions, you can leave them in the comments and I'll look at them all. :)**

**Thank you for all your support! This story has 45 followers already! That is incredible! I am so honored and excited to be writing this. **

**Also… I wanted to do the next chapter in Killian's POV. I don't think their reunion will be in this coming chapter though, because I want that to be in Emma's POV. Do you guys want a Killian chapter or would you rather I do everything in Emma's POV? **

**Thank you, and I will be back with another chapter before or on Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your week! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! I feel like this is getting so redundant but I am so thankful for every single reader who has visited this story in any way. It's an amazing feeling when you realize someone else cares about your character renditions enough to keep coming back. So, anyways, a huge thank you to everyone. :)**

**Also, this story is rated T, and it might even change to M. We all know that Captain Hook is… well, arrogant, handsome and always has some kind of innuendo up his sleeve, and he knows it. So just keep that in mind for this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time… but I can keep dreaming! Just kidding lol :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: "The Pirate"**

**Killian POV**

* * *

"We're back," Snow whispered.

It took only those two words to tilt my whole world on one axis. There was nothing in this bloody realm for me, because _she _wasn't here. Emma.

I had the sudden urge to run, to go anywhere but where I had the misfortune of being in this moment. I could run to the ends of this realm and jump into the next one but her face would never stop haunting me.

I hadn't imagined her teary red eyes, her quivering bottom lip as I gave her my final goodbye, I was sure of it. The image tugged at my heartstrings and I nearly doubled over from the actual pain that rushed through my body, as the truth filled me- she would be missing me if she had control of her memories.

It had never been this way with Milah. I had sacrificed my hand for Milah, but with Emma I had lost my heart. And there was no replacement for a lost heart. It had been much easier with a hand- just stick a hook in its place and make it a symbol of unending revenge. Except Emma had made me test that as well- my revenge had been carried away by the wind as swiftly as it had come on all those centuries ago.

The rest of the Storybrooke-turned-Enchanted-Forest-folk headed over to a couple who stared at us in shocked horror- we had literally fallen out of the sky, so I didn't blame them one bit. I missed most of the conversation between the two groups, but I gathered that the woman was with child, and that Regina's castle still stood.

And suddenly, I imagined Emma carrying my child, and how beautiful she would be. What would it be like to have a child with her? Milah had never wanted children, she had only wanted adventure and a life at sea. I'd always had a soft spot for children though, after Baelfire, and now Henry.

_Gods, would everything remind me of her now? _A life with Emma might have been possible if it weren't for Pan- nay, just magic in general. I hated the bloody thing- now that I reflected on it, magic had managed to ruin everything and everyone in my life. _Liam. Milah. Emma. _I was akin to a bomb- when the timer went off, everyone around me got hurt. Including myself.

As far as lucky stars went, I had too few of them watching over me. And I couldn't blame them for not looking down on me kindly- Captain Hook had been notoriously evil in all senses of the word, and I deserved all this pain. Perhaps losing Emma was a punishment for all my past evil deeds. If I'd known how much I'd regret my vendetta against Rumplestiltskin and all the evil that had festered in my heart because of it, I'd go back in time and fix everything. Finally, I understood the meaning of a phrase I'd heard my mates utter often on the _Jolly Roger_. Karma was a real bitch, they'd say, and indeed she truly is. I'd been arrogant enough to think that fate couldn't touch me.

Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't find Emma for me, so when everyone else began dispersing, I grabbed the first horse that Philip- the husband of Aurora, the woman with child- saddled up for us and began loading up everything that I might possibly need onto it.

And, of course, Charming chooses that exact moment to amble over. I'd come to regard him as a friend- the first real friend I'd had since Liam had passed away. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the company until now. However, I don't think he would take too kindly to finding out what Emma and I had been doing on the way home from Neverland. Most likely, he would skin me alive and leave me for the wolves.

"That's a lot of supplies you got there, Hook." Charming remarks as he looks over my fully supplied horse.

"Well, you know what they say about preparation and all that," I say as I put the last things into place on the animal. I was avoiding looking Charming in the eye, because he'd see right through me. He'd know Emma was the only thing on my mind.

"Well, there's no need to overload your horse," Charming replied lightly. "The Queen's castle is less than a day's ride from here. We'll have everything we need once we get there."

"Aye. That would be lovely, if I was going to the Queen's castle," I said. There was no time to waste, I had to get to Emma as quickly as possible.

"You're not coming with us?" Charming asked, sounding shocked.

"You are a perceptive Prince, aren't you," I joked, but for some reason it fell flat.

"Where are you going?" Charming asked seriously, leaning against my horse and looking every inch a prince. While I was a one-handed pirate with a drinking problem. No wonder Emma never wanted me- her father was a prince, she could literally have anyone she pleased.

"Listen mate, the Enchanted Forest is your home, but the _Jolly Roger_ is mine," I said gently, not wanting to hurt Charming.

"You don't even know if its still…" But I didn't give Charming a chance to finish. "Regina told me how this bloody thing works. It'll return all our belongings to this land as well as us. That means that somewhere out there is my ship. All I have to do is find her."

"What if you can't?" Charming asks, trying to find a reason to make me stay.

"I'll just have to take another one, then, don't I?" I asked with a roguish grin, but it didn't quite reach my eyes. "That's what pirates do."

"And here I thought you'd gone and changed," Charming sighed with disappointment. I felt the same feeling- I'd just lost the one real friend I'd had in a very long time.

I struggled onto my horse somewhat clumsily. I couldn't even remember when the last time I'd ridden a horse was. I noticed that Snow was rushing over, and I sighed. _Great. Now I'm going to get told off, _I thought ruefully. Snow could be very intimidating when angry, especially if it concerned Emma.

"I tried the hero thing," I added as an afterthought, just to make things worse for both of us. "It didn't take."

"So that's it," Snow asked accusingly. "Emma's gone and you're going to go back to being a pirate?"

"Back, milady?" I asked sadly. "I've always been a pirate." And that was true. Captain Hook was a part of me, and I would never be just Killian Jones again. No matter what anyone said, I was just Hook. And then I rode away, unable to handle seeing the disappointment in their faces.

* * *

I rode for hours without making a single stop. If horses could curse, mine would have damned me to hell for being so merciless. When I finally did stop though, it was twilight and I was thoroughly exhausted.

"I've had worse days, mate," I stroked my horse as he drank from a small lake. I sighed in disappointment. I'd wanted to get closer to the ocean, but it was too late to go much further. Hopefully, tomorrow I'd find the _Jolly Roger _waiting for me at the docks.

There was a tavern just outside the woods, and a number of small houses and a market surrounding it. So, this was a miniature town in the Enchanted Forest, and everything looked dilapidated. Obviously, things had deteriorated while Snow and Charming were gone for 28 years.

Nonetheless, I walked into the tavern, not letting something as trivial as a rickety building stop me from getting my drink. The waitress was very pretty, but I wasn't in the mood to flirt like I normally would. Soon, I had downed two drinks and I was feeling much better. The exhaustion had faded, the buzz was pleasantly clouding my brain and Emma didn't seem as important anymore.

"Thank you milady," I gave the waitress my best smile and a not-so-subtle wink. She blushed and I smiled even wider. "Has anyone ever told you how stunning you are?" I breathed. looking into her green eyes, mesmerized by the way her golden locks shone in the semi-darkness. She reminded me of Emma...or maybe Emma reminded me of her, either way it didn't matter.

"What do you say we find somewhere quiet, love?" I whispered, leaning over the table, as close as I could get to her. My lips grazed her collarbone, and she gasped when I sucked at her. "Come with me." She said in a daze.

"You are the most pleasant guest at the tavern this fortnight." She breathed as soon as we found a small back room. "Now, to what does our quaint town owe the pleasure of your presence?"

"I'm looking for a ship," I replied, letting her unbutton my vest. "But then I walked into a bar and found something better- a woman."

"Now, pirate," the girl breathed. "Let's see what wondrous things a man with a hook for a hand can do."

It was hard and rough, needy and lustful. There was no love or desire, it was just pure fucking. And it was clearing his drugged mind, and suddenly he was feeling sick to his stomach. He'd been alone for just one day, and look how he was acting. No wonder Emma couldn't trust him- he'd sworn to be committed to her, and now this strange woman was pressed against him, as they moved in a quick, jerking motion.

I pushed her aside and jumped away from the wall where I'd pushed her into some minutes ago and quickly began dressing.

"What the hell are you doing?" She growled, snatching my pants out of my hand. "We're not done. You can't just _leave me!_"

"Lass, I don't even know your name," I snapped, grabbing my pants and getting dressed. It was harder with one hand, but if there was one thing I was adept at it, it was surviving and adapting. So, I managed. I always did.

I left her alone in the broom closet, shame burning in my chest. I couldn't believe myself. A couple of drinks had made me lose my mind, and I was back to being Hook. And I hated myself so much for it.

I sat back down at my vacant seat, not noticing that a man had taken the seat next to me until he coughed into his hand.

"Well, well, well," The man leered at me. He was older, but handsome still, with deep blue eyes and dark hair. "If it isn't Captain Hook."

"I seem to have quite the reputation in this town." I replied humorlessly.

"Well, the hook gives it away." The man replied. He was also a pirate, it was obvious from his clothing and smell. All pirates smell like rum and the sea, and when you've been one long enough, you know how to recognize it.

"And who are you?" I asked rudely. "Forgive me, it's not as obvious."

"Really?" The man sighed. "I'd have thought being the most fearsome pirate in all the realms was a big deal."

When I didn't respond, the man sighed and stroked his dark beard. "Davy Jones. But I'm more often known as Blackbeard- a much more intimidating moniker, I'm sure you understand."

I'd never met this pirate before, and I was quite thankful. I'd heard plenty of stories about him though, and I knew he wasn't someone you want to cross paths with.

"I heard there was a nice ship at the docks not a half day's ride from here." Blackbeard smiled. "I wonder what pirate she _used _to belong to."

"Yeah, she's mine," I snapped. There were two things that pirates didn't play around with- woman and ships.

"Not… anymore." Blackbeard leered. "But I don't believe in thievery, so how about we make a deal out of it?"

"I don't want anything from you," I spit, fully ready to fight this dastardly pirate.

"Oh, but you do," Blackbeard smiled evilly. "How about the last magic bean known known to all pirates to find your lovely little girl?"

"How do you know about her?" I demanded. "Have you harmed her? Do you know where she is?"

"You are so desperate. So broken, so lost." Blackbeard sighed sadly. "Do pirates ever learn to stay away from woman? They are poisonous creatures, and nothing has killed more men than a broken heart."

"The bean." I snapped, not wanting to listen to this man any longer. "But I will find you and get my ship back. There won't be any realm you can hide from me in. I will find you and get my ship, if it's the last thing I do."

"Captain Hook, revenge doesn't work out very well for you," Blackbeard smiled cruelly. "You spent centuries doing the same thing with Rumplestiltskin, and here you are, a wretched excuse for a man."

"He's dead, I'm not," I said smugly. "I don't know about you, but that's enough revenge for me."

"There are fates far worse than death." Blackbeard said musingly. "I would know, I've damned scores of men to an eternity of slavery. And they all wish vainly for death, that most sweet release."

I had no reply, because he was right. My revengeful vendetta had been worse than death- I had damned my soul to an eternity of darkness for it. And now, being separated from Emma- that was far worse as well. The only hope in the darkness of my life was that I could find her. _Hope._

"One more thing, _Captain Hook_," Blackbeard spit out the last two words mockingly. "Why don't you tell me your real name?"

"Killian Jones." I snapped. "But I stopped being that man a long time ago."

Blackbeard looked shocked for a moment, and then he smiled at me, and right then, I knew who this man was. Two and two clicked in my mind. Davy _Jones. _This was no coincidence.

"My long-lost son," Blackbeard said with a smile. "I must say, you have your father's good looks and black heart."

"Shut up." I snapped. "I'm nothing like you. I would never abandon my family."

"You already have, Jones." Blackbeard smiles sadly. "Your Emma and the child."

I assumed he meant Henry, but I didn't want to listen to this wretched excuse for a father. I was nothing like him. Almost as if reading my mind, Blackbeard smiled sadly. "Like father, like son. You are the spitting image of your wretched father- inside and outside."

"You're wrong!" I screamed, slapping Blackbeard across the face. He looked surprised, and I was satisfied at the sight of his already-red cheek.

"How did you know where to find me?" I hissed. "How do you know all these things about me?"

Blackbeard winced as he lifted his hand from his swollen cheek. "I'm pretty good at knowing things, son. And here's your bean. After all, I believe in _good form_." Blackbeard said in a mocking voice as he held the bean out. I snatched it from his hand and tucked it securely into my knapsack.

"I will see you again." Blackbeard said, and it wasn't a question. "Goodbye, son."

"Don't call me that," I snapped, hating how I looked exactly like him. And I was scared to death that he was right. I was just as black as he was on the inside.

"And one last thing," Blackbeard added as I turned away. "I wouldn't go looking for that ship. I don't have to be able to read minds to know what your next move is."

* * *

Blackbeard had been right about one thing, maybe many things, but I wasn't ready to admit it yet. I stormed back to my horse, and took off at a gallop. If Blackbeard was right in saying the _Jolly Roger _was half a day's ride from here. I could make it by noontime.

I passed many small towns, but I didn't stop. And then finally, I stopped in a town I knew very well. This was the first place I'd gone after arriving on land after Milah's death. This was the place where I'd inked her name into my skin, so that I would never forget her, as long as I lived.

And then an idea came to mind, and again I tied up my horse to a post and walked into another dilapidated building. The man who had given me the tattoo of Milah was long dead, and I didn't recognize the owner now. _But, he would do as well as anyone else,_ I figured.

I walked out several hours later, my arm red and slightly numb, and my pockets a little lighter from the coins I'd handed over to the man. The pain had been worth it though, because it had been for Emma. The only person who mattered, the only person who could ever make Captain Hook a man again.

I stared at the finished job in the light of the rising sun and sighed. A beautiful, graceful swan was encircled by a hook, and in the middle, a banner flew across spelling out her name. _Emma. _

So that even when we were realms apart and I was drunk, I would never forget her. The ink would be a constant reminder of what I was fighting for. The man had offered to remove the tattoo of Milah, because apparently they can do that now, but I'd refused. She was a part of me, and I couldn't change that. But Emma was my new dream, and that was what mattered. I would find her, and the first thing I needed was my ship.

* * *

The magnificent sails of the _Jolly Roger_ were outlined against the sharp noontime sun, and in that moment, she had never looked more beautiful and regal. I dismounted from the horse, and wandered around for a bit trying to sell the animal. I felt slightly guilty- I hadn't paid a coin for the horse, and now I was making money off of it. Captain Hook wouldn't have cared, but I'd like to think I wasn't him anymore and I did care.

When I got on the _Jolly Roger_ some time later, I immediately knew something was wrong. I'd captained this ship for centuries, and I knew everything about her after all that time we'd spent together.

I pulled out of the dock and began making my way into the sea. It felt so familiar, so right to be in the ocean again, with the wind whipping through my hair and burning my face. The feeling of something being wrong disappeared, and I smiled despite everything. Being on the sea was exhilarating- even after 300 years it hadn't lost its thrill.

There was a sudden cloud of blue smoke, and someone materialized on to my ship. The absolute last person I wanted to see.

"I told you not to go looking for the boat." Blackbeard said in a reprimanding tone. "That's not good form, especially after I held my end of the bargain and gave you the bean."

I snarled at the man in front of me, the man whose blood ran in my veins. "This is my ship." I said flatly. "It was Liam's, and it is the last thing I have of him. I will protect it with everything I have."

"I have a different idea." Blackbeard smiled evilly. "How about you give me that bean?"

The bean flew out of my knapsack and straight into Blackbeard's waiting hand. He stroked it for a moment before saying anything. "How about I tell you that you will never be able to leave this realm until I give you my explicit permission?"

I just stared at Jones with hatred. He had won, and there was nothing I could do now. He was going to trap me in this land from which there would be no escape from. He would never let me leave. Ever.

"Please." I whispered, aware that I was begging. "I'll do whatever you want."

"I know you will," Blackbeard smiled. "But how about I leave you alone here on this ship for a couple months… years… centuries first?"

I glared at this evil man, hating every inch of him.

"I told you not to come back to the ship." Blackbeard said softly. "If you'd thrown the bean instead of searching for your ship, you might already be reunited with your Swan. This is all your fault, Hook."

Blackbeard was staring at me, tempting me to talk, but I refused to give in to the temptation. There were a hundred things I could say or do to him, but I held my ground. But the anger was bubbling up inside of me, and I started seeing red. I couldn't handle it anymore, and I lunged at Blackbeard, digging my hook into his chest.

"Haven't you learned your lesson, son?" Blackbeard removed my hook from his chest easily, and there wasn't a drop of blood staining it, even though I'd felt the ripping of his skin. "I'm not someone to be messed with."

"So, you see, Killian," Blackbeard smiled twistedly as he continued. "Going for a drink last night was probably one of the worst mistakes of your life. But you see how fate always favors me. You can't say I didn't warn you. Fate is not a light thing to mess around with."

"You knew who I was from the moment you saw me." I accused him. "You played me a fool.

"Yes, I did enjoy it, " The pirate acknowledged with humor. "But soon, you will go find Emma, because that is what I want. I will find you in this new land, and I will not rest until you are dead. You came to your ship when I told you not to. And sons who don't listen to their fathers regret it."

"Send me now then," I snapped. "I'll find Emma faster, and then you can come and kill me faster."

"But that's not what I want," Blackbeard said smoothly. "And I will get what I want."

Blackbeard disappeared in another cloud of blue smoke, and I chided myself for being so arrogantly stupid. There was a reason there were so many stories about Blackbeard, and here I'd gone ruining my one chance at finding Emma. Every awful thing that had happened in my life had been because of my arrogance, and I never learned my lesson.

* * *

Time went by in slow bursts, and before long I'd lost track of time. It might have been weeks or months since Blackbeard had appeared on the _Jolly Roger_, but I had no way of knowing. I spent three quarters of my life fully drunk, and nothing fascinating happened.

I'm sure that I spent most of my time in drunken stupors, but when I resurfaced, I realized I hadn't managed to forget Emma, All I could think of was how I'd failed her. _Maybe this is just a sign that I'm not supposed to find her, _I thought sadly. _She belonged to Baelfire, and he would be the one to find her, not me. _

On a bright and sunny day in which I was surprisingly not drunk, I noticed a dark blob against the sky, and that it was getting closer, headed directly for the _Jolly Roger._ After a couple of minutes, I made out that it was a large, powerful bird. It took a while for the bird to finally land on the wooden railing on the deck, but when it did, it squawked insistently until I untied a small bag from it's leg. It flew away immediately.

There was a note and small vial of dark blue liquid inside. I unfurled the note, and read the message carefully.

_Hook- _

_ There is a new curse that is going to take us back to Storybrooke soon. You must find_

_ Emma and bring her back to break this curse. Again, she is our only hope. Attached is_

_ a vial of memory potion- Emma will remember everything if she drinks it. You are our _

_ only hope of finding Emma. _

I stared at the note in shock and horror. Who was it from? Charming? Regina? Or Snow, who had a reputation of sending notes by bird? My head started swimming, and the feeling of hopelessness spread through my body. Blackbeard was the only way to get back to Emma, and there was no chance he'd let me go now.

"Is that so?" A voice called from behind me.

I spun around and came face to face with him. "Speak of the devil." I muttered under my breath.

"You have no idea how accurate that statement is." Blackbeard replied cheerfully, walking closer to me and pushing me out of the way so he could start steering the _Jolly Roger. _"You seem to be even more of a drunkard now… have you spent the last eight months in a rum-induced coma?"

"You knew this would happen?" I asked, ignoring his jibe, but it came out sounding like a statement.

"I don't read the future, just minds." Blackbeard replied. "But, you are desperate to find Emma and save her family?"

"No." I replied. "I want to find Emma so I can save her."

"Or perhaps yourself?" Blackbeard murmured quietly. "Do you want to find Emma to redeem yourself?"

Blackbeard reached into his pocket and drew out the bean. "Your days are numbered, Captain Hook. I will let you find your Emma and then the real fun begins- it will be much more rewarding, because once you find her, you will realize you have so much left to live for. And then I will destroy you."

He threw the bean, and a bright, spinning portal grew out of the ground. I knew what I had to do- think of Emma and I would land in her realm. I thought of the bustling city that she surely lived in, full of strange vessels- cars, Emma had called them. And I jumped. The last thing I heard was Blackbeard's triumphant laugh.

* * *

This realm was huge. There were more people than I had ever seen together in my whole life, and I was terrified? How would I find Emma in this bloody mess?

I stumbled upon a man who worked with something called computers. I had entered the store, thinking, that it sold something that could help me find Emma, and I couldn't believe my luck.

The man in the shop had smiled, telling me I'd come to the exact place to find people, and he had immediately sat me down, opened up one of his strange magical devices, and taught me how to use a fascinating thing called the Interweb- no, Inter_net_- and told me that something called _Facebook_ could help me find anyone I wished to. So, I instructed him to write _Emma Swan,_ and there she was, a whole page of the Internet dedicated to her. And then I could find out where she lived through yet another page of the Internet. I gave the man a small bag of gold coins and began laughing at his astonished face.

"What, have you never seen gold?" I asked jokingly. "I owe you very much- I have been looking for this woman for a very long time. Without your magical device, I might never have found her in this bloody realm."

The man tried to insist that he had no magic, but I waved him off, chiding him for his modesty. He just smiled, and told me to take something called a taxi and show him Emma's address that we had just procured from the Internet. Apparently, this taxi would take me anywhere I wanted to go. I showed the driver Emma's address, and we were at her place mere minutes later. I gave the driver a gold coin, and he stared at me the same way the man who had helped me find Emma did. "Have these people never seen gold?" I muttered in shock. "Incredible, how do they pay for things?"

I stepped through the door and was meet by a wall full of buttons. There were numbers written next to each button. I looked at the address, and found the number 201 written at the end, so I clicked the 201 button and ascended the steps to the second level. The man had also taught me how to do all this after we found Emma's address. He had laughed, and asked me if I was a secret service or FBI member. I had no idea what those were, but perhaps I could ask Swan what a "secret service member or "FBI" meant.

I knocked on the door for Emma's apartment and waited, my heart hammering in my chest. There wasn't anyone coming, and I couldn't hear anything through the wall, so I knocked again, more loudly, feeling desperate. After all these drunken, hopeless months, I was finally at her doorstep. At last, I heard a click, and I stood straighter, suddenly feeling nervous to the point of sickness.

And, after all these months, there she was. A smile broke through my lips, and I wanted to just throw myself into her arms more than anything else in the world. "Emma Swan," I whispered, unable to hide my happiness. Whatever Blackbeard wanted from me, it would be worth it for this moment alone.

I walked into her apartment, but she blocked me off. Something about her looked different, but I couldn't quite place it yet.

"Emma, I need your help," I began still unable to wipe the smile off my face. "Something's happened. Something terrible- your family is in trouble!"

"My family is right here." She replied, gesturing inside the apartment with one hand and resting her other on her belly.

Wait, what? _Belly? _I suddenly realized what looked different about her- she was with child, and looked beautiful. She was radiant. My eyes softened.

"A child?" I murmured, and then I felt my heart freeze. "Who is the father? Please, I need to know!"

"Who in hell are you?" Emma snapped. "You show up with a story about my nonexistent family being in trouble, and then demand to know who my baby's father is? Do you know how insane and rude you are?"

"I'm not crazy," I saw with as much honesty as I possibly can. "I'm an old friend. I know you can't remember me, but I can make you."

And I leaned in to kiss her, unable to hold myself back any longer. But before I could make contact with her lips, a sharp pain spread from my groin to the rest of my body, and I staggered backwards in pain as Emma pushed me towards the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emma gasped.

"A long shot- I had to try," I grunted, trying to stand upright again. "I was hoping you felt as I did."I gasped out between winces of pain.

"All you're going to feel is the handcuffs when I call the cops." Emma replied, one hand resting on her belly, stroking the child in an effort to soothe it.

In that moment, I knew without a shade of doubt that I was the father, but Emma couldn't remember. My heart squeezed as I imagined her finding out the impossible, and being alone and confused. My guilt at leaving her and falling for Blackbeard's ruse increased tenfold.

"Look, I know this seems crazy, but you have to listen to me, you have to remember-" She shut the door right in face, and I felt defeat running through my veins. I suddenly realized how exhausted I was.

I was going to be a father. Blackbeard had known all along that Emma was with child- he had told me that much, but I had assumed he'd been talking about Henry at the time.

Blackbeard's words echoed through my head "_Captain Hook. I will let you find your Emma and then kill you- it will be much more rewarding, because once you find her, you will realize you have so much left to live for. And then I will destroy you."_

I had dug myself a dark hole without realizing it, and I knew Blackbeard was laughing right now. I could hear it in my mind, even though we were worlds apart.

TBC

* * *

**Wow… that was a really long chapter! It took a while to write, but I'm glad it's done with now! Writing Hook was really fun, but I think the rest of the story will be in Emma POV.**

**So… obviously, we don't know what Hook was doing all these months trying to find Emma, and we don't know how Blackbeard fits into it, so I made it up. The summary does say this story is slightly AU, so I took my liberty with this chapter. I know it won't be canon once we see Blackbeard's episode, but I enjoyed writing this nonetheless. I am fairly certain that Blackbeard is Hook's father, though- the resemblance between Hook, Liam and the actor cast to play Blackbeard is striking. **

**Thank you for reading and all your support! I love you all so much! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all! This has been a crazy two weeks for me, so I apologize for the long hiatus between chapters. But here is a chapter in Emma's POV… finally, for the first time in this story, Hook and Emma get to interact! It was really fun to write them together.**

**IMPORTANT….**

**In my story, Hook finds Emma after 8 MONTHS, NOT A YEAR. It was the only way to have Hook enter the scene before the baby was born.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time… if I did, I would not be sharing Captain Hook with Emma. :)**

**CHAPTER 4- Oblivion**

* * *

EMMA POV

"Look, I know this seems crazy, but you have to listen to me, you have to remember-"

I didn't hear what I had to remember, though, because I closed the door right in the stranger's desperate, but strangely familiar face. Most likely something about my "family being in great danger." I'd heard enough, and decided that the man was a lunatic- a handsome lunatic, yes, but a lunatic all the same.

"Who was it, Mom?" Henry called from somewhere in the kitchen. "Do you know him?"

"No," I replied slowly, and then froze. Because I did know this man, however crazy it seemed. He was the same dark-haired, blue-eyed stranger in my dreams. I shakily sat down as my heart started racing. I had dreamed of a man I had never even seen before, and now he had shown up at my doorstep.

"Earth to Mom!" Henry snapped, waving his hand in front of my face. "Hello?"

"What? Oh, sorry!" I started guiltily and was faced by a stern looking Henry. "Sorry, Henry, I was just thinking. About the baby. Thinking about the baby, I mean."

"Mom, stop. You're not helping yourself." Henry smiled slightly. "You're something of an open book."

I narrowed my eyes, because I'd heard that phrase before, but not from Henry. Strangely enough, it was burned into my memory in a very familiar accented voice. One I'd just heard at the door minutes ago…

Ok, that's enough, I snapped internally at myself. Stop imagining things, Emma. One strange person showed up at my door and now I'm blowing this all out of proportion. Must be the hormones.

"Ok, Henry. School."

I snapped back to myself, and tried to salvage whatever was left of my reputation. Henry didn't argue, and within minutes, he was out of the door and headed to school.

And once I heard the door slam, I leaped off the couch as quickly as an eight-month pregnant woman could leap off a couch, and raced off to my bedroom. Once there, I grabbed my computer and loaded it up, my fingers itching to start typing. Finally, the computer loaded up and I opened up Google and began typing:

What does it mean when you dream of someone you've never met before?

Apparently, you can't dream of someone you've never met. So I have to have met this man at some point, or else borrowed parts of his features from other people and formed one person in my mind. But since he had shown up at my doorstep, all in one piece, I highly doubt the second possibility.

Maybe he was an inmate from when I was in Phoenix. I might have never noticed him, but he might have noticed me. Or maybe I've forgotten all about him. That seemed unlikely- I could live a hundred years and never forget those eyes.

I raked my memory, trying to find anything associated with this strange man. Nothing. Just like my mysterious pregnancy, this man was a complete mystery.

* * *

I regretted closing the door in the man-dressed-as-a-pirate's face. I needed to know how I knew this man, and why I dreamed of him every single night. In a city as big as New York, there was no way I could possibly find him. It would take years to search the whole city, and I needed my answers now.

I admitted that I looked for him while I was out. I checked behind my shoulder at grocery stores, at the movie theater Henry and I went to a couple days ago, and the bagel place on the other side of the street. But there was no sign of the mysterious stranger- and with his strange pirate garb and piercing eyes, he would not be easy to overlook.

My prayer was answered one day while Henry and I were having dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant. Henry had gone to use the bathroom when the strange man literally melted out of the shadows and took a seat at Henry's empty chair. I narrowed my eyes at his flagrant rudeness, but the man didn't seem to care.

"You!" I cried out in an accusatory tone. But the man held up his hand and interrupted me before I could continue. "I can explain!"

"You are a stalker!" I snapped. I had been looking behind my shoulder for a week for this man, and hadn't spotted hair nor hide of him. And it turns out he had been following me the whole time, and knew exactly where I was even if I hadn't seen him. So much for being an observant bail-bondswoman.

"Don't scream," The man murmured quietly, looking around us to see if anyone had noticed my outburst. "Just hear me out."

"I don't do this very often, so treasure it, love," The man began. "I've come to apologize."

Love? _Who does this man think he is?_

"For trying to kiss me?" I replied, fingering the knife on the table, and not taking my eyes off of the man for a moment. "Don't think I'm keeping my eyes off of you for a second." I added warningly.

The man suddenly smiled. "I would despair if you did." He leaned closer to me over the table and grinned at me cockily. This was the kind of man I tried to stay away from- arrogantly handsome.

There was a slight pause, and the man continued. "I was just trying to jog your memory." He said softly.

"It's time for you to go- now," I said sharply. I had no idea who this creeper was, but all I knew was that I wanted him to go. Nothing was making sense.

"Emma, your parents- your family- is in great danger," The man ignored my command.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I snapped. "My family is right here."

"You think you're an orphan." The man said without flinching, his eyes steadily held to mine.

I couldn't stop the look of surprise that flitted across my face. This man knew things about me, and I felt as if I had met him in another life. Maybe he was a bail-bondsperson too…

"That's haunted you your whole life," He continued in the soft voice. "I'm here to tell you that everything you've believed is wrong!"

"You don't know me." I replied almost desperately. There was no way that anything this man was saying was true. My head was pounding and I didn't know what was real anymore.

"Alas, I know you better than you know yourself," The man replied without missing a beat. If he was a bail-bondsperson, he was one of the best I had ever met.

"I have proof," He shifted slightly and withdrew a folded up piece of paper from his pocket. I noticed that his left hand hadn't moved an inch since we had begun talking, and he was holding it strangely.

He unfolded the paper with one hand, his left hand still stiff and immobile. "Take a gander." He said. "Here's an address." He pointed at it with a finger adorned with a large ruby-red ring.

"If you want to know who you really are, who your parents are, go there." The man said earnestly, a look of supplication on his face.

"Leave. Now." I said forcefully, but I had already made up my mind. I would go to this address tomorrow morning, and find out what this man wanted.

"You've been there before, a year ago, but you don't remember," The man continued, but I wasn't buying it. The only reason I was giving him a chance was because of the dreams.

"A year ago, I was in Boston. Until a fire destroyed my apartment and I moved to New York with my son," I replied, desperately trying to remember. But when I tried to remember, the memories were hazy and unclear. It was like looking at someone else's memories.

"Regina really did a number on you," The man said with a ghost of a smile.

Regina? Who in hell was Regina? Every time I convinced myself I could believe this creep, he went and said something crazy like this and made me doubt him all over again.

"You're a crazy person," I informed him. "Or a liar. Or both. Or I don't even know right now!"

"I prefer dashing rapscallion," The man replied arrogantly, leaning back in his seat.

I glared at him, wondering why I shouldn't just slap him senseless right now. "Scoundrel?" He tried again, trying to see if that was more accurate.

"Give me one good reason not to punch you in the face." I snapped.

"Well, it might not be beneficial to the child," The man said with a smile. When he saw my glare deepen, he quickly added, "Try using your superpower- yes, I know about that. See that I'm telling the truth."

"Just because you believe something is true doesn't make it real." I said. This man had most likely just broken out of a mental institution. Nothing he said made the slightest bit of sense.

"Maybe, maybe not," The man replied infuriatingly. I sighed in frustration, letting my hands drop to my very round belly. It had become a habit for me to rub my belly when I was nervous. The baby always seemed to know when I was nervous, and the gentle rubbing soothed both of us.

The man's eyes turned gentle at my sudden weakness. "How is the child?" He asked softly, not taking his eyes off of me.

"None of your business." I snapped, and then was taken aback by the hurt expression on his face. "She's fine." I replied, less sharply.

"She?" The man's face broke into a wide smile, and there was a hint of pride in his face.

"Ok, this is getting even weirder. Go. Now." I snapped, not caring about my rudeness anymore. "Are you stalking me to kidnap my baby? Are you some sort of pedophile?"

"No, Swan, never," The man replied instantly. "I wish for your well-being, and the child's."

"You sense that something is off," The man continued, trying to make the most of my more mellow mood. "Go to that address. Take a chance. Then you'll want to talk, and when you do I'll be in Central Park, by the entrance to the zoo. Don't do it for me, or for you. Do it for your family- they need your help."

And with that, the man suddenly got up and walked away, and within seconds, I had lost sight of him.

* * *

I was so jittery and nervous about what I would find at the address the man gave me last night that it was a wonder that I even managed to get Henry out of the house and to school without raising suspicion. I felt bad about all the secrets I'd been keeping from Henry recently, but I had no idea how to tell him I'd dreamed about a random person and then had that person show up at my door. I could hardly explain it to myself, and I'd never been good with words. Well, at least, that was the excuse I had for my actions.

The address was a small apartment, and appeared very normal at first sight. Perhaps it was the man's apartment, but that wouldn't make any sense. As I was turning around, I caught sight of the dreamcatcher hanging on the window. I gasped as I realized how familiar it looked- this was Neal's apartment!

How did this strange man know about me and Neal? What did he want from me anyway? I realized that my hands were shaking, and I tried to take a deep breath and calm down. There were a couple of letters laying haphazardly on the couch, with Neal's name on them, confirming my fears. And, creepily enough, a handkerchief splattered with blood. Was Neal in some kind of trouble, and was this "pirate" trying to help Neal by finding me? If that was his plan, it was going to backfire epically. I had no interest left in Neal anymore.

There was a camera lying forgotten on the table, and when I went to grab it, my shock increased tenfold. If I had been surprised when I'd learned this was Neal's apartment, then now I was horrified. The strap had Henry's name printed on it. Neal didn't even know that Henry even existed.

Something wasn't adding up. As my stalker had put it last night, something was off. There were too many signs to ignore now. I was pregnant with a child and couldn't remember the father or having sex with a man. Neal apparently knew about Henry. And I had a strange stalker haunting my dreams for months, and now he was flesh and blood in front of my own eyes.

My first stop after running out of Neal's deserted apartment was going to the closest drugstore and developing the pictures. And sure enough, there were pictures of me and Henry, with Neal. A banner proclaimed that the picture had been taken in a place called Storybrooke, a place I'd never heard of. I was sure I'd never been there, and now things were making even less sense, if that was possible.

I hated that I was now seeking the strange man out myself, but I had no choice. Somehow, Neal knew about me and Henry. If Henry was in any danger, I had to know before it was too late.

The pirate was sitting on a bench by the zoo entrance in Central Park, just as he had promised.

"Swan," The man sighed in relief when he saw me storming towards him.

"Why didn't you tell me that was Neal's place?" I hissed at the pirate wannabe.

"Easy, lass, I think the tone of your voice answers that quite clearly" the man replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You never would have gone if I had."

"Look, drop the shitty act," I snapped. "You dress like a pirate, with a fake hand. All you need is a hook and you can be Captain Hook, go on your merry way and leave me alone!"

The man's eyes flashed darkly. It was the first time I'd seen him angry. "Love, I'm not leaving. I need your help, your family needs your help." He swallowed before continuing. "I've never told you a lie. You have to believe me."

"I'm not going to believe any of your crap." I snapped. "Just tell me what Neal wants. How does he even know that Henry exists?"

"I'm not here because of Neal. I'm here because your parents are in great danger, their entire kingdom has been cursed, ripped back to Storybrooke." The lunatic said, obviously believing every word.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped. "My parents? Their kingdom? A curse? Do you know what you sound like?"

"Like a madman, I'm sure," The man admitted quietly, ducking his eyes in embarrassment. "But it's true. Your parents need you."

"Why did you come here if you don't believe me?" The man asked desperately. sensing that he was losing me.

"Because Neal has a camera with my son's name on it!" I snapped. "How?"

"Don't you see, that proves what I'm saying. You've been there, but you can't remember." The pirate looks at me imploringly. "Henry must have left that in the apartment when you were in New York last year."

"You're going to have to do better than that, Jack Sparrow," I said harshly.

"My name is Killian Jones," The man said thickly. "Just trust me, Swan. I would never put you in harm's way."

"Ever since you showed up, my world has been turned upside-down," I whispered. "I don't know what's real anymore. I don't even know who I am anymore. You need to leave before my reality explodes."

"Lass, trust me," Killian- that was the first time she had thought of his name when referring to him- begged her. "I know you're scared. You just happen to be an open book."

"I can't." I whispered, hating myself in that moment. "You have to go."

"If one small part of you senses that I am telling the truth, don't you owe it to yourself to find out if I'm right?" The man gazed at me with those damn eyes and I felt like he could see right through me. "Take a leap of faith. Just give me a chance, love."

"Call me love one more time and lose lose the other hand," I said, leaning closer and putting handcuffs on him. I had the element of surprise, and for a long second, all he did was stare at me.

"Swan, what are you doing?" He said, with a sigh of annoyance, as I tied him to the nearby bench. A strange sense of deja vu passed through me, but that was impossible, so I quickly dismissed it.

"I'm making sure you never bother me or my son again." I said harshly. I quickly turned around and caught the eye of the officer standing off to the side. I felt Killain's shock vibrating through the air between us, and for a second I felt bad at betraying him. "This is the guy." I said confidently. "This is the guy who assaulted me."

I backed away and watched Jones get shackled by the two officers. One of the officers said "You are under arrest for assault and criminal harassment," and began reading the man's Miranda Rights.

The pirate protested "It was just a kiss!" as the men bound his arms and began to lead him away.

"There." I said smugly. "He confessed."

"Swan! Swan, come back!" the pirate looked desperate, and for a second I almost felt bad. And then I remembered that he was mentally unstable, and I walked away and ignored his faint yells of frustration as I got further away.

* * *

I had thought that once I had effectively eliminated the Captain Hook wannabe from my life, things would go back to normal. But of course, things only got worse. I found myself standing in the nursery I had fashioned for my daughter more and more often, rubbing my belly as I thought of my mysterious fatherless baby. And I thought of that man, with the guyliner and the pirate garb, wondering why I felt such a strong emotional connection to the maniac.

After two sleepless nights, I finally decided that I had to bail the insane man out of jail. I had run away from him as if that would solve my problem. I was 29 years old, but for some reason, I hadn't learned the lesson that running away from your problems doesn't solve them.

So, on a cloudy, chilly Wednesday morning, I found myself standing outside the New York city jail, waiting for the stranger to walk out and start feeding me his crackpot story again. He strode out minutes later, his eyes taking in the outside world again, and then his face lit up like a star when he saw me.

"Hey! We need to talk!" I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Swan! Oh, thank the gods, I thought I'd have to rot in that place for eternity. I've been in my fair share of brigs, but none as barbaric as that!" He complained loudly.

I rolled my eyes and made a noncommittal noise in the back of my throat.

"They force fed me something called bologna!" The man spit out the word with vengeance and I almost smiled at his theatrics.

"What the hell are these?" I said, waving the pictures in his face. "Did you PhotoShop these pictures?"

"PhotoShop?" The man asked with confusion.

"Faked," I explained.

"If you think these are forgeries, why did you spring me from the brig?" the pirate asked. "Because, deep down, you know something is wrong, and you know I'm right."

"It's not possible," I said desperately. "How could I forget all of this?"

"I promise, there is an explanation," He said. He reached into one of his many pockets and drew out a small bottle of disturbingly blue liquid.

"This will restore your memories," The crazy guy said with all sincerity. "Just drink it, and everything will make sense again."

"Drink the thing the crazy guy just offered me?" I said harshly. "No, thanks! What if you want to poison me or my baby?"

The man's eyes flashed worriedly. "I don't believe it will have any adverse effect on your babe, lass."

"Still, no," I snapped. "I won't endanger my child because of you."

"Don't do it for me or for yourself." The man was begging now. "Do it for your family. They need you. You just have to believe in yourself."

I took it from the stranger with a huge amount of trepidation, but I knew, deep down that I was going to drink it. I was tired of this guessing game that I'd been playing since I found out about my baby, and the stranger was right, as much as I hated to admit it. Something was amiss right now, and I needed to find out what it was. If the man was a raving lunatic, then there would be no harm done.

"Are you sure it won't hurt the baby?" I asked quietly, hesitating for the sake of my child. I had already lost one of my babies thanks to my stupidity, I wasn't about to let anything happen to this one.

"Swan, I would never hurt ou-your- child," The stranger hurriedly caught himself, and I wondered what he was almost going to say.

"If what you're saying is true, then I'd have to give up my life here. It's real, and it's pretty good. I have Henry, a job, and a baby on the way."

"It's based on lies!" He said. "Perhaps there is a man that you loved in the life you lost also. What about your family? Do you really want to live a life of lies? Just trust your gut, you'll know what to do."

"Henry always says that." I said, warming up to the idea of drinking the potion more with every passing second.

"If you won't listen to me, listen to your boy." He said, and I wondered how he knew all the right things to say.

"I trust you." I whispered without thinking, and then my heart started racing. Where on Earth had that come from?

I uncorked the stopper on the bottle and slowly raised to my lips. Without once taking my eyes off of the stranger, I let the bottle touch my opened lips and then slowly tilted it backwards. The liquid was very cold as it went down my throat, and tasted very much like refreshingly cold water. For a second nothing happened, and then I felt as I was being swept away. There were so many memories, running past me like a movie screen.

A lone candle. It was me, blowing out my birthday candle alone on my 28th birthday.

Henry's smiling face.

A sign that reads "Welcome to Storybrooke."

The clock tower.

Regina.

A fiery dragon and me holding a sword

Henry lying cold and pale in a hospital bed.

Purple smoke, and then Mary Margaret and David, no wait Snow White and Charming… Mom and Dad.

A black figure, the dream-catcher, and Neal… Neal falling through a portal with a gunshot wound, and I remember my desperate voice before he fell through. I love you.

Hook… and how I had finally let down my guard somewhere between Neverland and Storybrooke, the soft kisses and touches, the gentle love making.

And then the curse that had carried me away from everything that I loved.

I guess my eyes had closed somewhere as the surge of memories returned to me, but I opened them with a gasp, and saw Hook standing in front of me with a concerned look.

"Hook," I gasped. How had I forgotten him? How had I forgotten the man who finally gave me a home, the man who had fathered the child growing inside of me.

"Did you miss me, love?" He murmured softly, a smile lighting up his features.

"It's yours," I said, feeling that he should know. But he probably already suspected it anyway. "The child, I mean."

"After all these centuries." He said in awe. "The fearsome Captain Hook is going to be a father."

"Oh God," I gasped. "What are Mary Margaret and David going to say?"

Hook smiled for a moment, as if imagining the response brought him immense pleasure, and then the grin fell from his face. "Swan, you have made a pirate think of running scared."

I felt the fear clench around my heart for a single moment, and I knew that my face had betrayed me because Hook was eyeing me with concern. The idea of abandonment, especially when I was about to have a child, had bad past conditioning, thanks to Neal.

Hook looked at a loss for words for a moment, but it didn't last long, because it was _Captain Hook,_ for God's sake. He always had _something_ to say.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Emma, if you would allow me the honor of staying with you and raising our child, I would be honored. I believe in good form, and I will not abandon like everyone else in your life has. And it helps that I love you, and Henry and our child."

I honestly didn't know what to say. I had never been good with words, emotions, and tying them together to express them out loud. Hook, however mistook my silence for disapproval.

"If you wish for me to leave, I will go. I want what's best for you, Emma." Hook said gently.

My respect for Hook grew tenfold. He obviously wanted to be a part of the baby's life, but it would be my decision in the end. And how could I say no to him? This baby was half his, I couldn't shut him out of the baby's life. Neal had run away and betrayed me, but Hook had spent a whole eight months looking for me.

"I think together is good." I whispered quietly, so he had to lean in closer to hear. "It's nice to not be abandoned."

"I will never abandon you." Hook said fiercely, icy fire burning in his eyes. I was surprised by his forcefulness, and wondered what had happened in the past eight months. "I will always fight for you."

And when he leaned in to embrace me in the crowded New York street, I didn't fight him. It felt so good to be hugged- to be wanted- and I felt myself tearing up. I blamed the pregnancy hormones, but deep down, I knew better. Captain Hook had sailed right through my walls like they were made of clouds.

His hands automatically found my belly and I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips. Because our baby had just kicked Hook's hand, like she knew exactly who this man was already.

"Was that the lass?" Hook asked in wonder, his eyes lighting up like stars.

"Yes." I laughed quietly.

When he leaned in a second time, it was too slow for me. I wanted him now, and I didn't want gentle. I jerked the collar of his coat and dragged him closer to me. When his lips finally touched mine, I felt like all the puzzle pieces had finally come together and I would never be that lost little girl again.

* * *

**(Hides in shame)...**

**I am so sorry! It's been two weeks since I updated! I never planned on it being that long of a wait… I will have another chapter this week though, so don't worry! I won't leave this story hanging forever lol. :)**

**Have a great week. Thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing/clicking. I appreciate all of it so much! See you Sunday or earlier with another chapter. It's going to have David's reaction, and Neal's, because chronologically, he's still alive in my story. :(**

**Reviews make me giddy :) Have a great week!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Wicked**

**EMMA POV**

**Disclaimer: Everything about OUAT and its characters belongs to Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. I just like to play with their characters sometimes. :)**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, love?" Hook nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood outside of my apartment warily.

"Are you serious, Hook?" I snapped. "You tried to barge into my apartment uninvited last week, and now you have an invitation and refuse to come in. Do you realize how strange you're being?"

"Emma Swan has invited me inside her place of residence." Hook enunciated each word clearly, raising his eyebrows at me. "Do you realize how strange _you're _being?"

"Well, it's not like you've got anywhere better to go," I muttered. "I mean, where have you been sleeping besides the jail cell?"

"The park," Hook finally made his way inside the apartment, and sat across from me. "A bench is not the worst place I've had to sleep on before."

I sat down at the couch and patted the space next to me, but Hook ignored me and stayed on his lonely couch. "I'm sorry. About the bench. How did you not freeze to death?"

"Like I said, I've seen worse," Hook said softly. "Nothing to trouble yourself with, love."

I swallowed as I realized how hard a pirate's life must be. He had worked so hard to find me, but I wasn't sure if I was really ready to let him in completely.

"Do you want to see the nursery I made for the baby?" I asked when the minutes dragged on and the silence was getting awkward.

Hook looked surprised that there was a room all for the baby, but then again, he probably was not very familiar with babies and how to prepare for them. "She probably won't get to use it, though," I sighed in disappointment. "It seems that not using a prepared nursery due to a disaster kind of runs in my family."

I open the door to the room and walk in, hearing Hook following behind me. There was a sharp intake of breath as he saw how every detail was attended to. Henry and I had spent a great deal of time decorating the walls, so obviously they weren't perfect, but that's what made them so special. The crib sat in the middle of the room, and next to it was a small, already worn-in rocking chair (because I already loved to spend time sitting on the comfortable chair). Pink accents were everywhere, and it was so unlike Emma Swan that Hook looked shocked.

"Love, it's pink," He said in confusion. "I never got the feeling that you were fond of the color."

"Well, I can't really paint it blue," I said, brushing my hand over the soft blanket in the crib, but Hook didn't miss my blush.

"Admit it," He said silkily, stepping closer and making me question whether he understood the concept of personal space at all. "You like the idea of dressing up your child as a little princess."

"I never got the chance, but she should, right?" I asked breathily. "And, Hook, she is our child, not just mine." I would never admit to him, but just his presence was making me light-headed, but at the same time so exhilarated. I could hardly remember what I wanted to say, and all I could think about was those damn beautiful eyes.

"Lass, is there any respectable food in this realm?" Hook questioned suddenly, as we walked in the general direction of my room. Hook was getting the official tour of my small apartment, mostly because I didn't feel like stopping him. "A man can't exactly live off of bologna."

"Yeah, of course there is," I said, "And now that you mention it, I'm starving. Henry told me to order some Chinese takeout tonight."

"Lass, what exactly is _Chinese Takeout?" _He spit out the words with disdain, and I saw that modern world and Hook weren't going to get along very well, at least while he adjusted to this new life.

"It's a type of food," I said, and Hook smirked. "Somehow, I gathered that part, love."

I blushed. "And, if you let me finish, takeout means they bring the food to your apartment."

"I rather like this takeout idea," Hook said with a crooked smile, his eyebrows raised, as he walked closer to me until we were inches apart. "Gives you time to do other… more enjoyable activities."

"Ok, definitely not," I snapped, and gestured at my huge belly. "Do you even see this?"

"You look stunning," Hook said softly. "The Princess Aurora was with child in the Enchanted Forest, and when I looked at her, all I could see was you, and how beautiful you would be if you were carrying my child. And now you are."

I opened and closed my mouth uselessly for a couple seconds before regaining my voice. "You imagined me pregnant? How much of this… daydreaming about me do you do?"

"Love, I told you that I would think of you every day," Hook said, sounding offended. "Did you not believe me?"

"I just thought that Captain Hook likes to exaggerate a little bit," I said with a teasing smile.

"Swan, I love you. Is that hard for you to remember?" He sighed and threw himself on my bed.

"No wait-" I started to yell, but it was too late. Hook had landed squarely on the remote that controlled my Tempur-Pedic bed, and I watched, torn between laughter and sympathy, as the bed moved forward and began a slow massage.

"Bloody hell, Swan!" Hook yelled as he scrambled to get off my suddenly moving bed. "Why is your house booby-trapped?"

Laughter won out, and I couldn't breathe for several long minutes as the tears streamed down my face and my chest heaved for air. "It's… not… booby trapped." I managed to gasp out eventually. "It's just a really… expensive and comfortable bed."

Hook didn't look reassured at all. He paced around my room, looking at all my possessions as he muttered about the strange "magic" in this supposedly magic-free land.

Meanwhile, I grabbed my phone and called to get the Chinese food from a local restaurant chain that Henry and I both enjoyed. Henry should be home from school home soon, so now would be a good time to order so we could all eat together. Hook just stared at me as I talked on the phone, as if trying to figure out how the strange device worked.

"Oh no, Henry's coming home," I said once I finished ordering, staring at Hook's otherworldly appearance. How would I explain this to Henry?

"Is that bad?" Hook said, sounding confused.

"Yes, if he doesn't have any memories of you, and you happen to be dressed like a pirate." I said, rolling my eyes at the pirate.

"Ah yes, what an interesting coincidence," Hook said sarcastically. "Why would Captain Hook be dressed as a _pirate_?"

"Ok, I have some sweats that you might be able to wear until we get you normal clothes tomorrow." I said, digging through my closet and dragging out a pair of wrinkled dark grey sweats.

Hook looked horrified as I pulled out the clothes. "Lass, I don't want to wear _sweats._ And my clothes are normal." He added stubbornly.

"Just wear them." I said in a firm voice that left no room for argument as I pushed him into the bathroom adjacent to my room.

I settled down on my bed as I waited for Hook to finish. My hands instinctively found their way to my rounded stomach, and I felt the insistent kicking pick up again. "You won't believe this, little baby, but I found your Daddy. He's a pirate." I began softly. "And I'm a princess. My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming. I mean, how crazy is that?"

I laughed softly as the kicking intensified. "Your Daddy is Captain Hook. The _Captain Hook. _At least he doesn't have a perm, I guess."

I gasped as I felt the bed move with Hook's extra weight. I had been turned on my side, away from the bathroom, and hadn't heard him come in. "Did I scare you, love?" Hook said, curling himself around my body. "I guess there is a first for everything."

I leaned into him, missing the way we fit together perfectly. "No, you startled me. There's a difference."

"Sure." Hook said, rolling his eyes. He suddenly looked down at my belly, and his hand hovered over it uncertainly. "May I?" He asked, his face serious.

"Of course," I said, rolling onto my back and exposing my rounded belly.

"Hi, baby." Hook said softly, gently rubbing my stomach. "I'm going to be a father. I don't believe it."

"She's kicking," I said softly as I lead Hook's hand to the spot where I had just felt the kick. His intake of breath told me that he felt it too.

"Emma, I can't be a father," Hook said desperately, drawing his hand away from my skin. "I know nothing about babies. What if I hurt her? What if she hates me or is ashamed of me?"

"None of that will happen," I said fiercely. "You're going to be a wonderful father, stop worrying."

"Yes, love," Hook said, not sounding completely reassured. He continued to rub my belly, and I felt myself begin to doze off. Everything felt right for the first time since the curse had taken my memories, and I felt like I could finally relax.

I felt like I had only been asleep for seconds when I heard the doorbell ring, and I sighed as I heaved myself off the bed. "That would be the food." I muttered, annoyed at the sudden interruption.

I opened the door and paid the delivery boy, who looked a little frightened at my half-asleep, very disheveled, appearance. The minute I put the food on the counter, Hook started taking the boxes out and examining the contents. "Lass, why did he give us worms?" Hook said in annoyance. "What kind of strange food do people eat in this realm?"

"They are not worms," I snapped, reaching the end of my patience. "It's called noodles."

"If you insist," Hook muttered, immediately picking up on my sudden temper. I felt bad for lashing out at him, but he seemed to see the need to ask me about every single thing that he didn't understand in this world.

"Look, I'm sorry," I grumbled in defeat. "I know this is all new to you, and I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"I suppose that no lasting harm has been done," Hook said, wiggling his eyebrows in the way that only he could. "But you could show me just how sorry you are…"

"Shut up, pirate," I snapped, before closing the distance between us and capturing his lips against mine.

The door suddenly opened as Henry came in. I drew away from Hook with a startled gasp, and my face was the color of a tomato by the time Henry walked into the kitchen a second later.

"Henry! This is… Killian!" I said in a rather high-pitched voice, desperately trying to rescue the situation. "He's a client."

Henry looked at Killian with narrowed eyes and at my red face, but said nothing. He just nodded and muttered a greeting to Killian before going for the bags of Chinese food and helping me set the table.

The meal began with an awkward silence, but then Henry suddenly asked Killian, "So, did you skip bail?"

"So, he's still a little spitfire, isn't he?" Hook said jokingly.

"Still?" Henry asked in suspicion.

I jumped in to Hook's rescue. "No, never mind that, he just has a really important case, in Maine." I explained. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"We?" Henry asked, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Yes," I said, smiling at him. "The three of us are all going."

"Vacation with you? No school? I'm sold!" Henry looked at me with excitement, as if we were leaving that second.

"Good, because you need to pack." I said with a smile.

I threw away all the dinner boxes and paper plates while Hook wiped the table and Henry went to his room. "This Chinese takeout was excellent, Swan." Hook said to me. "This realm is beginning to grow on me."

"Good," I replied, taking the wipe from him and throwing it onto the sink. "It sounds like we're all trapped again, so you might as well begin to like it, because you could be here for a while."

We settled down on the couch and I turned on Netflix and started a random movie. Hook looked at the TV in shock, and then turned to me with a look that screamed _"Explain this magic to me right now."_

"It's not magic," I said with a laugh. "It's called a TV, and you can watch movies- like moving pictures- on it."

After about twenty minutes, Hook announced that the movie was a bloody waste of time, and I closed it, because I was getting tired as well. I went to my room and pulled out my suitcase, and began throwing in some clothes. As an afterthought, I went to the nursery and threw in some clothes for my baby. I had no idea when or if we would ever come back to the apartment, so if the baby came while I was in Storybrooke, I needed to be ready.

"We need to take the car seat and the stroller," I sighed, glancing at Hook as I emptied the drawers of all the baby clothes. "The baby could be born in Storybrooke."

"Lass, when is the baby due to be born?" Hook asked with trepidation.

"The doctor said that I'm due in three weeks." I explained to Hook. "So, if the baby is born in Storybrooke, she'll need all this stuff."

Hook swallowed, suddenly looking nervous. I had never seen Hook nervous, so this was a little strange. "Calm down. Everything is going to be fine." I said softly. "We should get to bed, because we need to leave really early tomorrow."

Hook's only response was to nod, and he didn't even say goodnight to me before settling down on the couch I had laid out a couple of blankets on for him.

* * *

I woke to the feeling of Hook's warm's arms wrapped around me as I gasped for breath. My heart was racing and the images of my vivid dream were still replaying through my mind's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I woke you up," I whispered against his chest. "You can go back to sleep."

"It's alright, lass, I was already awake," He said softly as he stroked my hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's the same dream, over and over again," I said softly. "I always dream about you, even when I didn't have my memories."

"You saw me in your dreams?" Hook asked in amazement. "When did it start?"

I swallowed nervously. I hadn't told Hook about how I'd lost one of my babies earlier in the pregnancy. "When I first found out I was pregnant, the doctor said I was going to have twins."

"Wait, you're having two babies?" Hook asked, his face filled with fear and excitement.

"No, one of them died," I whispered, not looking at his face. "I was so stupid- it was all my fault. My stomach was hurting, but I didn't go to the hospital. Henry came home and found me covered in blood, but by the time he called the ambulance, it was too late."

"It wasn't your fault, Swan," Hook whispered reassuringly. "It might feel like it, but it's not."'

"I blamed myself for months," I whispered. "I just felt that if I had gone to the hospital right away, things might have turned out differently."

"Lass, look at this," He whispered, gesturing at my belly. "We're going to have a beautiful baby in a couple weeks. You need to look for the silver lining."

"I know," I conceded. "But it doesn't change how I feel."

"We can hurt together," Hook whispered, tightening his hold on me. "Now, tell me about your dreams."

"I never knew who you were. You would always disappear the second before I could get closer to you." I explained. "That's why I was so scared when you showed up. It seemed impossible- there was no rational explanation as to why I dreamed about you."

"It's ok now," Hook said softly. "I'm not going to leave you, not ever."

"It was different tonight," I whispered. "When you disappeared, the Witch took your place."

"It won't happen," He said firmly. "It was just a dream."

Reassured, I fell back asleep in his arms, and this time, there were absolutely no nightmares.

The drive to Storybrooke was rather uneventful. Henry had fallen asleep in the back of the car and Hook was trying his best to stretch his long legs in the cramped car. Between the suitcases, the stroller and the car seat, there was really no room to move an inch. We had left early in the morning and it was a rather long drive.

Hook had discovered the radio a couple of hours ago and had flipped through practically every station. He paused on a song that he seemed to like and I rolled my eyes at the lyrics. As the song got more and more risqué I felt my cheeks heat up until I felt very uncomfortable. From Hook's expression, I could tell that he was enjoying my pain.

_Been around the world, don't speak the language_

_But your booty don't need explaining_

_All I really need to understand is_

_When you talk dirty to me_

_Talk dirty to me..._

I sighed with relief as the song finally ended. From the looks of it, this was going to be a _very_ long drive.

"I rather like the music in this realm," Hook said with a grin. "We should try out a couple of those suggestions in that song."

"No, we are not doing anything." I said firmly. "Don't get any ideas."

"Too late for that, love," Hook grinned at me.

When we finally arrived in Storybrooke, it was late in the evening. I parked on the side of the road and decided that the first thing I had to do was to go and see Mary Margaret and David.

"Hook, can you stay here with Henry?" I asked quietly, not wanting to wake Henry.

"Aye, lass," Hook said. I watched him attach his hook on with a grin. "Much better."

"It's just as cursed as I remember," I said quietly as I looked around the quaint town. I wondered if this was Regina's fault, but I couldn't see why she would recast the Dark Curse. _Maybe to get back to Henry… _

"Where are you off to?" Hook asked as he leaned against my car.

"To see my parents," I said grimly. I had a feeling that neither of them would be happy to know about my pregnancy. And what would Neal say? I swallowed nervously. Coming back to Storybrooke suddenly seemed like a really bad idea.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. My heart was hammering in my chest. What if this new curse had taken all their memories again and they couldn't remember who I was?

I finally gathered up my courage and knocked. A few moments later, the door opened and David stood there.

I searched his face desperately, but there was nothing but shock in his expression. "Wait, please don't close the door! My name is-"

"Emma!" David said, the relief and happiness evident in his voice. "You remember us?"

"Yeah, of course. How do you remember me?" I asked, following him into the living room.

"Why are you here?" David asked in confusion. "Regina gave you new memories and a new life with Henry."

"Hook came back and brought me," I said with a shrug. "He said there's a new curse and that my family is in danger and back in Storybrooke."

"Hook?" David questioned, and then his eyes finally landed on my stomach. "Emma…?"

"As you can see, it's been a busy eight months," I said with a sigh.

"So, we've really been gone for eight months?" David questioned. "The last thing we remember is the curse washing over us and then waking up in bed, here."

"It really has," I said with a sigh. "Who would do this to you?"

"Never mind that now," David said, switching into protective father mode. "How did that happen?" He gestured at my very pregnant form.

I went bright red, but at that moment, I heard my name and suddenly Mary Margaret came and gave me a fierce hug. "Emma!" She hugged me tightly and looked at me with happiness. When she stepped back a moment later to stand by David, my mouth fell in shock.

"A lot has happened here too," David began. "We just woke up, thinking it was a normal day in Storybrooke, but obviously, it wasn't."

Mary Margaret was pregnant. She wasn't as large as I was yet, but she still looked to be about four or five months along. It made sense, given that it had only been eight months ago that the curse had separated us.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret gasped in shock. "You're pregnant too! Did you meet someone?"

"No, I didn't meet anyone," I said, walking over to the couches with Mary Margaret and David.

"Then how did…" Mary Margaret broke off as recognition dawned on her face. "It's Hook's baby, isn't it?"

David's face went bright red, and I could tell that he was furious. "Hook did this? That son of a-"

"Ok, stop," I said, holding up my hands. "Yes, it's Killian's baby. But I want him to be a part of my life, and the baby's life."

David just sat there, boiling in anger, but Mary Margaret looked more thoughtful. "So, you didn't know who the father was?"

"No, I thought I was going crazy," I said with a smile. "I couldn't believe that I was pregnant."

The doorbell suddenly rang, and David immediately got up to get it. I moaned when I saw that it was Hook. David wasted no time in slapping Hook right across the face.

"Mate, what was that for?" Hook asked with a moan, rubbing his already red face.

"For Emma," David growled, glaring at Hook, who looked like he wanted to disappear inside the Jolly Roger and never come out.

"Sorry, mate," Hook said with a sigh. "But, I was a gentleman. I am always a gentleman."

"Yeah, whatever." David still looked angry, but he allowed Hook to come inside.

"I got a room at Granny's, Swan," Hook announced. "Henry's in bed and Granny said she would keep an eye on him."

"Good," I said. "Now, tell us everything you remember about this curse."

"More like everything we don't remember." David said in a sullen voice as he took a seat next to Mary Margaret.

"We just woke up in our bed like it was a normal morning, but it wasn't." Mary Margaret gestured at her small belly. "We don't know who cursed us or why."

"We need to find out who took your memories," I said. "We'll search the whole town if we have to."

Hook cleared his throat a bit, and said, "Love, I think you should rest. The baby could be here any day now."

"I'm pregnant, not handicapped," I snapped at Hook. "And it will be weeks before the baby is born."

"Hook's right," Mary Margaret spoke up. "You need to rest, and I'm going to make sure you do."

Hook grinned at me victoriously, but David's glare wiped the smile off of his face. "Don't think I'm going to let you off that easily. This is my daughter that you banged up."

"We'll meet back here tomorrow morning," I said to Mary Margaret and David. "But I should get back to Henry."

"Where's the pirate going?" David asked suspiciously.

"I rented a room for myself as well, mate," Hook said evenly. "But I'm flattered that you are concerned about me."

"Shut up." David snapped. "I was concerned about Emma."

I pushed Hook out before David and Hook got into a full blown fist fight. Hopefully, Mary Margaret could talk some sense into him.

"That went well," Hook grumbled as we walked back to Granny's.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it." I sighed, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

A sudden squawking and rush of feathers suddenly came out of nowhere, and Hook pushed me behind him. It looked like a flying monkey, but that was impossible. And then I remembered that nothing was really impossible, especially in Storybrooke.

"Stay back, love," Hook yelled, brandishing his hook and trying to get close enough to injure the strange beast.

The monkey managed to push Hook out of the way and I had only enough time to shield my belly before the monkey came rushing at me. A painful stinging in my arm told me that the monkey had drawn blood. With a loud squawk of triumph, the monkey suddenly flew off as quickly as it had come.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped, trying to assess the damage that the monkey had done to my arm.

"Emma, you're hurt!" Hook said in alarm, rushing over to examine my arm. "We need to get you to the hospital!"

"I'm fine." I said soothingly, but Hook didn't look satisfied. He examined my hand carefully, and didn't let me move until he was satisfied that I wasn't in any immediate danger. "It barely scratched me and my arm isn't even bleeding anymore."

"It looked like a flying monkey." Hook said as we continued walking towards Granny.

"Then it looks like we have our first clue as to who is terrorizing this town." I said. "It'll only be a matter of time before we catch them."

* * *

**Zelena POV**

"You saw the savior?" I inquired sharply. "Are you sure?"

More squawking ensued, but I managed to get the important parts from the nonsense. "She was with the pirate?" I smiled thoughtfully. "So there is something between those two."

"Anything else?" I asked in an offhand voice, going to the kitchen of my makeshift farmhouse. No one would be able to find me here, which is exactly why I chose this location.

"The Savior is pregnant?" I gasped as a slow smile spread over my face. Now I wouldn't have to wait for several long months for Snow White's baby to born. I could complete my plan in days, thanks to the Savior. The Savior and her pirate captain, and their little infant, would do perfectly.

"Everything is falling into place," I grinned evilly. "Emma's child could be born any day!"

I laughed and waved the monkey away. Once he disappeared into the darkness, I walked over to my mirror, and with a click of my fingers, changed my outfit. "The Queen may be evil," I said, admiring my new dress. "But I'm wicked. And wicked always wins!"

* * *

**Hi! It's me again. Sorry for the erratic update schedule- it's getting really crazy in my life, with the end of the school year coming up. I'm so sorry!**

**So… just a couple things about this chapter:**

**1) Hook finds Emma after eight months, so obviously Mary Margaret isn't as far into her pregnancy in this story. I know that in OUAT, Mary Margaret looks ready to pop! :)**

**2) I really enjoyed writing Hook vs. the Modern World! I might try to make a fun little collection of drabbles when my life slows down a bit. **

**3) I put the small part with Zelena at the end to tie up the chapter. Obviously, Zelena would have to wait a while for Mary Margaret to give birth, and that could be up to five months in the timeline of my story. So, the fact that Emma is giving birth in weeks is making my Zelena very happy.**

**Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave any questions/opinions in the reviews. See you with the next chapter sometime in the near future. :)**

**Reviews make my day! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- Farewell**

**Emma POV**

* * *

"So, I guess that we're the ones who get to sit around on our asses while the others hunt down this Witch?" Snow sighed in frustration, clicking the next episode of _The Bachelor_ on Hulu.

"Who says we have to stay here?" I replied, a determined glint entering my eyes as I pulled my boots on, with some difficulty.

"Emma, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Snow said cautiously. "As much as I hate to admit it, Hook and David are right. You need to rest."

"Believe me, I'm fine. And I wouldn't mind if I went into labor right now. I feel huge!" I was not used to carrying around all of this extra weight. I was getting more uncomfortable and restless by the day.

"Can we just stay here for just a couple minutes longer?" Snow asked hesitantly, an excited smile lighting up her face.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously, my eyes narrowed. Mary Margaret hadn't changed one bit since the last time I'd seen her eight months ago- she still couldn't keep a secret for anything.

"I met someone really nice this morning at Granny's" Mary Margaret said. "Her name is Zelena."

"Yeah, so what?" I asked, failing to see where Mary Margaret was trying to go with this.

"She was a midwife back in the Enchanted Forest," Snow said with a grin. "I told her that we were both pregnant and neither of us had raised our firstborn. She wants to give us some pointers."

I'd almost managed to forget that I hadn't raised Henry after all. A pain as sharp as a knife shot through me as I remembered the life that Henry and I could have had, if only I'd have kept him.

"How convenient, but I don't need pointers," I snapped. "I'll be fine."

Mary Margaret's shocked expression made me utter a hurried apology. "I'm sorry. It's the hormones talking. I'm not used to feeling useless. And I don't want to admit the fact that I did give up Henry."

"That's exactly why we need Zelena," Snow said gently. "Who better to explain what having a baby is like than a midwife?"

"I guess so," I conceded. It felt good to finally talk to someone about my insecurities about having a baby. "I thought I was going crazy, because I didn't remember who the baby's father was. It feels good to talk about it, finally."

"Emma, you're going to be a wonderful mother." Snow said confidently. "And even though David was a little agitated yesterday, we both know that Hook will do everything he can to protect you and the baby."

"You do?" I asked in shock, remembering David's reaction last night.

"Hook loves you, Emma," Snow said softly. "Your father and I can see that much."

"I don't know if I'm ready." I admitted. "This is all new to me."

"You don't have to do anything alone, not anymore." Snow smiled. "We can raise our babies together, and you have David, Hook and practically the whole town to help you."

"Yeah," I smiled hesitantly, suddenly feeling somewhat excited to have my baby. Right on cue, the doorbell rang, and I assumed it could only be Zelena.

"I'll get it," I said to Mary Margaret, urging her to remain seated as I went to get the door. I opened it to find a pretty, young woman with blue eyes and red hair. She smiled the moment she saw me.

"Emma Swan!" She leaned in to hug me. I returned her gesture, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I didn't comment. She must not be used to this world yet- as far as I knew, Zelena hadn't come to Storybrooke with the last curse. "I am so happy to finally meet you and your soon-to-be bundle of joy!"

"Thanks," I said. "Come on in, Snow's waiting in the loft."

Zelena hugged Snow upon seeing her, much like she had done with me. She sat next to Snow while I sat on the chair across from them. "This is just amazing!" Zelena exclaimed. "Mother and daughter both pregnant at the same time!"

Snow laughed. "I guess that's one way of putting it. I mean, my baby is the uncle or aunt of Emma's baby. It's kind of weird."

"Nonsense," Zelena chided Snow. "Babies are a wonderful gift. I could only dream of helping Snow White deliver her baby in the Enchanted Forest. And now, here I am, helping Snow and her daughter with their pregnancies!"

I laughed along with Snow, but I felt that something was off with Zelena. For some reason, I was not as taken with her as Snow was. When Zelena excused herself to make some tea, I leaned towards Mary Margaret and decided to voice my concerns.

"Does Zelena seem a little… too perfect?" I asked Snow hesitantly. "What if this woman did something to you in the past year?"

"Emma!" Snow gasped. "Zelena is wonderful. I can't even imagine somebody as sweet as her harming a soul, much less casting a curse to destroy a whole town!"

I sighed. It was going to be impossible to persuade Snow about my concerns about Zelena. I would need to find David or Hook and tell them about my suspicions.

Zelena came back at that moment, holding a tray with three cups of tea and a plate of cookies. "I made chamomile tea." Zelena announced. "It is amazing for stress, and it works wonders for pregnant women!"

"Thank you so much," Snow smiled at Zelena and immediately took a sip from her cup. I was more hesitant, examining the contents carefully. But, as far as I could tell, it looked like perfectly normal tea.

"Now, let's get down to business," Zelena sat down and pulled out a small notebook. "Emma, you look close to delivering, so I think we should begin with strategies that I find to be effective during delivery."

I sighed and prepared myself to sit through a long and torturous session with Zelena. All I really wanted to do was find Hook and David and tell them about Zelena. She may not be the Wicked Witch herself, but something about her that set my lie detector on high alert.

Zelena finally got up to leave after nearly two hours, promising to be back the next day to help us go baby shopping.

"You take care of the little one, Emma," Zelena smiled and rubbed her hand gently over my belly. "You have a strong, _innocent_ little girl in there."

"How do you know that it's a girl? I never told you the sex!" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the woman.

Zelena laughed lightly. "I'm a midwife, I know these things, dear," Zelena said softly. Suddenly she looked icy and sinister, and she lowered her voice to make sure that Snow wouldn't hear her. "Take care, and I will be back for your happy day."

The door slammed, and I felt my heart chill. Even through the closed door, I could hear Zelena's laugh. My feeling of fear increased tenfold. "Snow, there's something wrong with Zelena." I said, ignoring Snow's confused glance. "There is something menacing about her, like she has some secret intention."

"Don't be ridiculous, Emma," Snow laughed. "You know, there are some people you can trust."

That was the last straw. I was getting annoyed, and I didn't want to blow up on Snow right now. It didn't help that the baby had been moving around unceasingly since I had drunken Zelena's chamomile tea.

"Hey, I'm sorry." I said to Snow, giving her my best apologetic smile. "I'm really craving some lasagna from Granny's. How about I go get some and come back to finish up Season 17 of _The Bachelor_?"

"That sounds great," Snow smiled. "Can you get me some pizza on your way? With pineapples?"

"Sure," I said, unfazed by her strange request. Earlier in my pregnancy, I had craved french fries with a passion. I'd have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So anything Snow wanted didn't sound weird at all now.

I grabbed my coat and walked, or rather waddled out of the door and down the stairs. Once I was out of the apartment complex, I pulled out my phone and immediately called David. I had to talk to someone about my suspicions concerning Zelena, or I felt like I would go crazy.

David picked up on the second ring. "Emma, is everything OK?" He asked immediately. "Are you OK? Is Snow OK? The babies?

"Everyone is fine," I soothed him. "Can you meet me at Granny's in twenty minutes? It's important. And can you find and bring Hook too?"

"Yeah, he's right here," David replied. "We're in the woods, looking for some clues, but we'll be at Granny's in twenty."

"Perfect." I sighed in relief. "See you soon."

I hung up and realized that I hadn't been lying when I told Snow I was craving lasagna. I walked into Granny's and was immediately met by Ruby's smiling face.

"Emma! Oh my God, you're pregnant!" Ruby stared at me in shock, her eyes begging me to tell her everything.

"How did you guess?" I muttered, rolling my eyes at the younger girl's excitement.

"Let me guess," Ruby put one hand on her hip. "You met someone while we were in the Enchanted Forest? Who is he? I haven't seen anyone new yet!"

"Calm down, Ruby," I sighed as I eased my swollen body onto a stool. "I didn't meet anyone."

"Then you got pregnant before the curse hit," Ruby's eyes lit up in glee. "Oh my God, it's Hook's baby, isn't it?"

I had no choice but to nod. The whole town would find out soon enough anyways. Ruby squealed in delight and she came around to give me a huge hug. "You denied that anything happened between you and the pirate though!" Ruby pouted, disappointed that such a huge story had happened without her knowing.

"I'm so happy for you, Emma!" Ruby smiled in excitement. "I can't wait to meet her!"

"How does everyone know it's a girl?" I snapped. "I didn't tell anyone!"

"Wolf senses," Ruby grinned. "She's a tough one, like her Mommy. And like her pirate daddy, I guess."

"Ruby, I need food," I said as my stomach growled. "How about a lasagna, bread sticks, ice cream, a brownie and a large iced tea?"

"Someone's hungry," Ruby teased. "By the way, Hook is smoking hot. If I wasn't so happy for you, I would be dying of jealousy."

"Shut up!" I snapped, hunger making me irritable. I hadn't even been hungry ten minutes ago, and now I felt like I could eat enough food to fill a table. "And can I also have a slice of pizza?"

"Holy crap, Emma," Ruby said as she ran around getting my order ready. "I only have two hands, you know!"

"Sorry," I sighed. "But I'm starving!"

"Tell me," Ruby whispered with a naughty smile. "How good is he in bed? I mean, he only has one hand…?"

"Ruby, dammit, shut up!" I gasped, feeling mortified, as my face got redder than a tomato. "This is so not the place!"

"I bet he's amazing," Ruby said wistfully, completely ignoring me. "He's huge, isn't he? And three centuries of practice doesn't hurt!"

I would have walked out if I wasn't so desperate for the food. Ruby finally got my order ready, and I ate the first thing I could get my hands on, which happened to be the ice cream. I moaned in delight as I licked every last bit of the ice cream of the cone and then proceeded to munch through the cone. I then began my way through the lasagna and the pizza.

"I never knew that Granny's lasagna could taste this good," I moaned, practically inhaling the plate.

Ruby threw me a glance filled with mock insult, but my mouth was filled with food and I was too content to get myself worked up about anything.

"Were you expecting anyone, love?" A voice suddenly whispered, and I gasped, completely caught off guard. Ruby immediately stopped wiping the table and stared at Hook and I intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"That's a whole lot of food for one person," Hook said in a velvet voice. "Care if I join you?"

"Order your own," I said, possessively moving all my food closer to me as I glared up at him. His blue eyes danced in amusement at my response before he composed himself.

"As the lady wishes," Hook said with a mock bow. "Ruby, love, can you get me that some of that awful black stuff that people in this realm are addicted to?"

"One coffee coming right up for Daddy!" Ruby said brightly, heating up the water.

David walked in a moment later, and stared at my load of food for a moment, but wisely chose not to say anything.

"Emma, what's wrong?" David looked confused for a second. "I thought you had something to talk to me about?"

"I do," I replied. "Just give a minute to finish this brownie and then I'll explain."

Ruby brought Hook's coffee and leaned over the table, her ample cleavage fully exposed.

"Love, I am certainly enjoying the view, but I hear that pregnant women get very jealous and possessive of their significant others." Hook said as he gave me a pointed look and winked at me in that way that only he could. I felt my heart stutter as his eyes locked on mine.

"So, Snow's midwife was over," I began, eager to change the conversation, and so, I relayed the whole story and my suspicions to David and Hook. "I think she's trouble."

"She threatened our child?" Hook growled, his eyes fiery with anger. "I don't know much about fathering, love, but no one will hurt our child unless they go through me."

His fury was actually touching. David obviously saw an opportunity for Hook and I to embrace- or worse- so he immediately began talking. I didn't miss the warning glare he threw at Hook though. _I'll protect my daughter, too, Captain, _David's glance literally screamed.

"She came over to see Snow yesterday and I felt the same way." David said thoughtfully. "I thought I was just overreacting, but now that you mention it, she just seems so… perfect. It's suspicious."

The bell on the diner door suddenly jingled and Regina walked in briskly. For a second, I thought I saw a happy expression in her eyes when she saw me, and then her mouth fell open in full and utter shock. She looked at my bloated figure with an almost comical horror, and then a small smile played on her lips.

"So, nothing happened between you and the pirate?" Regina asked in a biting, sarcastic tone. "I may be wrong, but a baby definitely constitutes as something, Ms. Swan."

By now, the whole diner was observing the spectacle that Regina had caused. "The one-handed wonder knocked you up, and while I'm trying to find this Wicked bitch, you two lovebirds area having lunch!"

"To be fair, I saw you having a steamy kiss with the thief this morning," Hook said lightly. "I definitely took some pointers, so thank you for that, love."

"Shut up," Regina snapped, her face red as she snapped her fingers and immediately, Hook got doused in a bucket of water. He coughed and spluttered, his face comical as he stared up at Regina in horror. And I swear I saw her look at me and smile for a moment before she snapped her fingers again and Hook was immediately dry again.

"Did you find anything useful?" Regina asked David, turning away from me and Hook.

"No, but Emma and Snow did." David said and repeated my story to Regina.

"Interesting," Regina said thoughtfully. "This Zelena seems suspicious. I'll put a protection spell around the apartment, and you two can scour the town and the woods to see if we can find where Zelena is living. Did she mention where she was living to Snow?"

"I'll ask her," David asked, immediately getting out his phone to text Mary Margaret.

A minute later, his phone buzzed, and David sighed in disappointment. "Zelena never told Snow anything. Snow likes Zelena a lot and she think's we're completely wrong about her."

Regina exhaled in annoyance. "She's your problem to fix, Charming." Regina sighed. "I'm going to go try to recreate a memory restoring potion."

Regina walked away, her heels clicking. "David," I whispered once Regina was out of earshot, "How do we know that Regina didn't cast the curse to get back to this land and get Henry?"

"We don't know," David sighed in frustration. "But, why would she try to help us if she cast the curse?"

"I'm going to go give Snow her pizza," I said to David, holding a Granny's takeout box filled with two slices of pineapple pizza.

David smiled. "Yesterday, she made me go to the store in the middle of the night for pickles and ice cream. And she ignored the pickles and only drank the juice. How weird is that?"

I laughed at her strange cravings. "It's pineapple pizza today."

"Come on, Hook," David said. "We have a Witch to find."

"Right behind you, mate," Hook replied before wrapping his hook hand around my waist and using the other to brush a strand of hair off of my face. "Be careful, love. I don't want anything happening to you or my little pirate princess."

"She's your princess now?" I asked, my voice soft as I leaned into his strong arms.

"Always," Hook whispered. "I'll protect you two from Zelena, or any other person who wants to harm you."

"I'm not helpless, you know," I chided him gently. "Emma Swan doesn't need anyone to protect her."

"I would never call you helpless, Swan," Hook said. "You're powerful alone, love, but imagine how much more powerful we can be together?"

"Keep dreaming, buddy," I laughed, extricating myself from Hook's embrace.

"Perhaps you can't handle me, love," Hook said, arching that damn eyebrow, and I knew I was a goner. "From what I recall, we make quite the team."

"Challenge accepted," I snickered, seeing the pirate's eye light up with excitement. "Come here."

I forgot where we were as I claimed Hook's lips as my own. In the background, I could vaguely hear Ruby laughing and several of the diners were clapping. When we pulled away, David was standing in the doorframe, his lips pursed as he threw Hook the stare of death. My face was as red as Ruby's red highlights and I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and just disappear.

"Can I trust the two of you alone?" I asked David and Hook once we were safely out of the diner.

"No promises, sweetheart," David replied immediately, but I knew David well enough to know that he wasn't serious. His lips were twitching with a barely disguised grin and his mirthful eyes betrayed him.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that," I replied to David. My phone started ringing at that moment, and I reached into my red coat to pull it out. The screen read _Belle_.

"What could Belle want?" I asked quietly before answering. David just shrugged but stared at me intently as I accepted the call.

"Hey, Belle," I said warmly. "What's going on?"

"Emma, I don't want to shock you, but Neal's been missing since we returned here," Belle began. "But he just… showed up at Rumple's shop and he's not… well."

"What do you mean by well?" I asked, my heart beating rapidly.

"He collapsed," Belle replied in her soft voice. "I'm taking him to the hospital. Do you want to meet me there?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there," I replied, immediately heading for David's truck and taking the passenger seat. "Drive to the hospital."

"Why?" David asked, his forehead creased in concern. "Did the monkeys bite someone else?"

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. "Who did they bite?"

"Little John- one of Robin's Merry Men," David said. "When they bite someone, the person turns into a monkey too."

"No. Belle found Neal. He fainted when he came into the shop," I said, annoyed that David was not telling me anything that was happening in the town.

"Baelfire is back?" Hook asked from the backseat. "He always manages to turn up."

I rolled my eyes at Hook's cynical statement. I'd heard stories about how Hook had tried to protect the young Neal from Pan in Neverland, and I knew that Hook still cared for Neal. But since he and Neal were both viewing me as a prize, I'm sure things had gotten more complicated between them.

Ten minutes later, Hook, David and I were rushing into the room that Whale had pointed us too. Neal sat there, looking bewildered and confused, and my heart went out to him. "Neal!" I gasped. "What happened?"

"Emma, you're here," Neal smiled widely. His eyes bugged out almost comically when he saw my bloated stomach. "Wow, that's a surprise."

"I know," I whispered, my heart breaking at the pain hidden in his eyes.

"Guys, can you give us a minute please?" Neal asked, his voice strained.

Everyone filed out of the room until it was just me and Neal. I lowered myself onto the edge of his bed and smiled softly, waiting for him to speak.

"It's good to see you," He said, his hand reaching out to squeeze mine. I nodded, my eyes getting watery. I might not love Neal anymore, but I would always care for him.

"It's good to see you too," I replied. I suddenly caught sight of the inside of his hand and gasped in surprise. It was red, and a strange triangular mark was raised. It looked like he had been branded by a very hot object.

"What is that?" I asked, holding his hand up to the light and examining it cautiously. I immediately snapped a picture of it on my phone and sent it to Belle, asking her to find out what it may mean.

"I don't know," Neal said. "It was there when I woke up in the forest. The last thing I remember is watching you drive away with Henry."

"Neal, I really am glad to see you again," I said, but it felt like there was an elephant in the room.

"Emma, I want what's best for you, even if it isn't with me," Neal whispered. His burned hand cautiously reached out to rub my belly. "If Hook makes you happy, then I won't complain."

"Really?" I asked, my voice soft.

"Yes." Neal replied confidently. "And congratulations on the baby. Is it a girl or a boy."

"A girl," I replied softly. "I'm due in two weeks."

My phone buzzed, and for the second time that day, Belle's name appeared on the screen. "Belle, did you find anything out?" I asked, worry clenching in my stomach.

"Yes. That marking on Neal's hand is the key to the vault of the Dark One," Belle replied. "I think Neal tried to resurrect Rumple when we were in the Enchanted Forest."

"What? How is that even possible?" I asked in confusion. Neal's eyebrows creased in confusion as he tried to hear what Belle was saying.

"I don't know," Belle replied. "Neal should be dead, if it worked. It's a one for one trade."

"So he shouldn't be here right now," I asked, my eyes flickering to Neal's face with fear. _What has he done?, _I thought in horror.

Neal suddenly started screaming and I could only stare in horror as his face did a terrifying half-morph into Rumple's features and then returned to his own.

"Emma, he's _inside _of me," Neal gasped in horror. "You have to separate us."

"No, then you would die," I gasped, tears filling my eyes. "And I don't even know if I can do something that big without messing up."

"My dad will be able to defeat the Witch," Neal said quietly. "You can save yourself, the baby and Hook. You need him more than me."

"Neal, no," I whispered, my tears slowly falling down my cheeks.

"Emma, please," Neal said, his voice steady. "Just do it."

I took ahold of both of Neal's hands and closed my eyes tightly in concentration. I felt the magic rushing through my veins and I knew that it was working. A bright flash of magic surrounded Neal, and suddenly Gold was flung out of Neal and fell to the hospital floor.

"Neal! Neal, are you ok?" I gasped, lowering him onto the pillows and cradling his head in my lap.

"Bae?" Gold struggled to his feet and gave me a glare and snarled at me. "What have you done?"

"Papa, it's ok," Neal said weakly. "I told her to do it, so you can tell everyone who the Witch is and defeat her."

"Zelena," Gold said, his voice dripping with disgust. "Zelena is the Witch."

"Papa, I'll be fine," Neal said softly. "It's my turn to be a hero."

"No, I can fix this," Gold snapped, trying to reabsorb Neal.

"No, Papa," Neal managed a small smile and then turned to face me. "Emma, promise me one thing."

"Anything," I choked out, holding Neal's right hand in both of my own.

"Tell Henry that in the end, I was a hero." Neal whispered. "I want my son to know who I am."

"He will," I vowed. "You're a hero, you've saved us all."

"Find Tallahassee, even if it's not with me," Neal said, his voice fading rapidly as his breathing became more labored.

He turned back to Gold, who was sitting on the other side of Neal's bed. "I love you...Papa."

He released a final breath and I saw his eyes turn glassy. Whale, David and Hook rushed into the room and looked at the scene in horror.

"What happened?" Whale asked in shock.

"Gold was inside Neal," I gasped, my tears flowing freely. "Neal's dead."

David was suddenly sitting next to me, stroking my hair softly and whispering words of encouragement into my ear. I leaned into him, letting my emotions fully overcome me for the first time in my life.

Hook was standing off to the side, his eyes blinking rapidly as he stared at Neal's body. He had known Neal in a different way than I did, and in a different time, but I knew that he wouldn't take this easily. He might try to hide it, but Hook was hurting.

"We should get back to Snow," David said quietly, after some time. "She'll be worried.

I nodded and let David help me up. We began walking out of the hospital, with Hook and Hold trailing behind us.

"Zelena!" I gasped, remembering that I was the only one who had heard Gold tell us that Zelena is the Witch. "She's the Witch- Gold said so!"

"I'm so happy that we all know each other now!" A bright voice exclaimed, and Zelena stepped out of a green cloud right in front of us.

Hook immediately moved so that he was in front of me. His eyes were blazing with hatred as he glared at the Witch. He looked ready to take her on with his bare hands after what had happened to Neal.

"Be a good pirate and stay still," Zelena snapped, waving her hand, and Hook was instantly frozen in his place. She did the same thing to David and then she walked towards me. Her hands immediately found my rounded stomach. I tried to fight my way out of her way, but I was hit with one of her freezing spells immediately.

"Yes, this baby will do perfectly." She said softly, her face curling into a grin. "I don't have time to wait for Snow to give birth. But fate is finally favoring me, because your daughter will do perfectly."

Fear clawed its way into my heart, but I powerless to do anything to stop Zelena. "I will be back for your child." Zelena whispered maliciously, her face gleeful.

She unfroze us all with one wave of her hand and pulled out Rumplestiltskin's dagger from her black coat. She stroked it gently and smiled sinisterly. "You're mine to command, Dark One," Zelena said in a delighted voice. "And you'll be coming with me. We have lots of work to do before the Savior's child is born."

She was gone as suddenly as she had come. For the second time that night, I was crying. "David, she can't take my daughter," I gasped. "Neal died to protect us- that can't be in vain!"

"No one is taking her," Hook vowed, running his hands over my abdomen gently. "We're going to have a plan. We'll protect the hospital and make sure no one can get in. We will defeat this Wicked Witch."

I nodded, letting David and Hook lead me to the truck. As we were walking there, David's phone suddenly started ringing.

"What now?" I moaned, my heart squeezing painfully. I couldn't take anything else today, and I prayed that there wasn't any trouble anywhere else in town.

"It's Mary Margaret," David said, worry coloring his voice.

"Mary Margaret! Are you ok?" David immediately asked, stopping in his tracks to talk to her.

I heard Mary Margaret's panicked voice on the other end, her voice rushed and high. My heart froze in fear, because whatever was wrong, it couldn't be good. I prayed that she was just having a craving and getting emotional.

"She took him!" David gasped in horror. "Stay where you are, we'll be right there. We _will _find him, Mary Margaret!"

He hung up, and rushed us all to the truck. "Mate, what's going on?" Hook asked, looking just as fearful as me.

"Zelena showed up at Mary Margaret's apartment," David said. He bit his lip, staring at me nervously before continuing. "Snow knows that Zelena is the Witch now. Emma, I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" I snapped, glaring at David. "David, tell me what happened, right now, or so help me God-"

David sighed and stared at me for a moment before replying.

"Zelena took Henry."

* * *

**I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to get up! I had finals and I was studying a lot instead of writing! The next chapter won't take this long to get up, I swear. **

**Next chapter is going to be Hook POV (or mostly Hook POV). I'm going to weave what I already wrote in my previous Hook POV chapter to what actually happened in Episode 3x17 ("The Jolly Roger"). **

**I will see you with another chapter soon (unless I die during the 2 hour Season finale on Sunday, which is a very real possibility, honestly).**

**Please leave me a review! I love them all and treasure each one dearly. And tell me how excited you guys are for the finale! Because Sunday can't come fast enough for me! **

**Bye! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, all my lovely readers! I am continually blown away by the beautifully positive response I've gotten to this story! Thank you for favoriting, following, reviewing, reading and even just clicking on this. I am just so floored by the response that I've gotten, so thank you! **

**So… how about that finale? That last scene just about killed me (I was already weakened from the Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen feels though, so that last part just finished me off). All I can say is that I have no idea how I'm going to wait until September/October for the new season. :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its lovely characters.**

**OK, so enough of my rambling. Here is the chapter- Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7- Demons**

**Killian Jones POV**

* * *

"Zelena took Henry."

I had been waiting for something catastrophic such as this to happen. Blackbeard's words would keep me up at night, striking fear into my heart- not fear for myself, but fear for those around me. I had endangered them because of my own stupidity and Blackbeard had already said he didn't want to only take my life but to make me suffer by hurting those I loved most as well.

I know that I should have told Emma, or at the very least, David, about what had happened to me before I arrived in New York. But I didn't want to bother Emma, not when she was getting closer and closer to delivering our child- a child whose life I had already managed to jeopardize before it was even born. I was the last person in the world who should be a father- besides Blackbeard himself, perhaps.

So, while the Charmings and Regina were formulating a plan to get Henry back, I snuck out of Snow and David's apartment and into the cold night air. The late night chill stung my face, but I didn't pay it any attention. Instead, I quickened my pace until I was heading toward the docks at a run.

I knew that I would find Blackbeard here. Even though Zelena had taken Henry, I had a feeling that it was Blackbeard that I needed to go after to get Henry back.

My breath caught in my throat when I reached the Storybrooke pier. There was _The Jolly Roger_, her outline majestic against the clear night sky. A pang of longing shot through my heart at the sight of her, but I ignored the nostalgia. I had a pirate to make a deal with.

I walked onto the plank, feeling like an intruder, even though this ship had been my home for nearly three centuries. I fingered the blade in my pocket, trying to draw strength from the fact that I had faced Blackbeard once and survived. _You only survived because Blackbeard wanted you to, _I thought with panic.

"What a wonderful place for a reunion," A voice drawled out behind me, and I immediately recognized Blackbeard's voice.

"Can't say that I agree, mate," I replied smoothly, disguising my nervousness behind a smirk.

"How is your lovely Swan?" Blackbeard laughed. "Did I interrupt your happy plans to becoming a father?"

"If you lay a finger on her, I will kill you," I snarled. "Your quarrel is with me and you can leave her out of it."

"I have Emma Swan's son," Blackbeard said softly. "Do you want to make a deal with me to get him back?"

I swallowed heavily, knowing that Blackbeard wasn't going to make it easy. I might never see Emma again, but if I could save Henry, I was willing to pay the price. _So this is what being a hero feels like, _I thought ruefully.

"What do you want?" I asked, squaring my shoulders and praying to the gods that I would see Emma one more time, to tell her that I loved her.

"_The Jolly Roger, _of course," Blackbeard ran his hand over the wheel of the ship and smiled softly. "But this time, I have to make sure you will truly surrender her to me, so you have to do something for me."

I just knew that there would be a catch, and sure enough, here it is. I took a breath and nodded quickly, "What do you want?"

"Swear on the name of the woman you love. Swear on Emma Swan." Blackbeard smiled wickedly, knowing that he had trapped me in a corner.

"I swear on Emma Swan," I whispered, my voice breaking on the last syllable. _The Jolly Roger _would never be mine again, but I would happily give up my ship for Emma. Hell, I'd give anything up for her.

Blackbeard gave a short laugh before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of green smoke. When the smoke cleared away, Blackbeard was gone, replaced by none other than Zelena herself.

"Zelena," I gasped, my heart sinking as I realized that I had been tricked. "Where is Blackbeard?"

"Oh, no need to worry about him, pirate," Zelena said with a laugh, and with one quick movement, her hand was in front of my lips. A quick flick of her fingers produced a cloud of green smoke to puff out my lips. "I killed him. I'm very sorry I prevented you from seeing your dear father again."

My hand immediately went to my lips as I tried to figure out what Zelena had done to them. "What have you done?" I snarled, fear filling my heart.

"Cursed your lips," Zelena said lightly. "The next time your lips touch Emma Swan's, all her magic will be taken away."

"I won't kiss her, then," I said matter-of-factly. "I'll tell her what you've done and we will figure out how to reverse it."

"I'll send the Dark One to kill her before you even reach her," Zelena smiled smugly. "If you don't kiss Emma and take her magic away before her child is born, I will start killing people. Starting with your precious, unborn daughter."

"Now take Henry and go," Zelena waved her hand again, and Henry appeared, looking unharmed but terrified. "You can go and pretend that you are a hero for finding Henry, and not tell Emma about what I've done to you. The fun is just starting for me."

"Henry! Lad, are you alright?" I knelt down next to him so that I was at his eye level. Henry nodded shakily, and I scooped him up in my arms and carried him off the docks and toward David's apartment.

"Killian?" Henry said after a few minutes of silence. "That woman is a witch. She has… magic. And she wants to kill all of us."

"I won't let that happen." I said fiercely. "I will protect you, your mother and the baby with every breath I have."

"You love my mom?" Henry said softly. "And you're the dad of Mom's baby?"

"Aye, lad. I love her to the ends of the world and back." I sighed. Zelena had used me, she had tainted my love for Emma and made me Emma's greatest enemy.

"My mom has been lying to me all week." Henry sighed. "I knew something about Storybrooke was weird, but I still can't believe this. Magic? Seriously?"

"Seriously, lad," I agreed with a slight smile. Henry ran ahead of me to David's apartment, but after a moment, he turned around, a curious look in his eyes.

"Why do you have a hook?" Henry asked.

"This might sound a little crazy, but I'm Captain Hook," I sighed. "All the Storybrooke residents are fairytale characters."

"You're Captain Hook?" Henry asked in shock, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "The Captain Hook?

"Aye, that I am," I replied, trying to share with the boy's enthusiasm, but my smile felt flat and fake, even to me.

The door to David's apartment opened a moment after Henry knocked, and Emma stood there with a look of utter relief on her face. "Henry!" She immediately engulfed him in a giant hug, and when she finally pulled away several long minutes later, her face was drenched with tears. "Henry! Don't you ever dare leave me like that again!"

"I won't, Mom. I'm okay, Mom, don't worry." Henry smiled and returned Emma's hug.

Emma finally glanced up at me and the look of shock on her face hurt me a little bit. Did she still doubt my loyalty to her, even after I had given up everything for her?

"Did you get him back?" She asked in a hushed whisper. "How? Where was Henry? Where is Zelena?"

"Slow down, love," I said with a slight smile. "Yes, I got him back. Zelena was on the Jolly Roger, keeping Henry prisoner."

"_The Jolly Roger _is here?" Emma asked with surprise as we settled into Mary Margaret's couches.

"Not anymore," I said, trying to smile and be nonchalant about the loss of my ship, but Emma saw right through my facade immediately.

"What did she do to your ship?" Emma asked in a hushed whisper, looking as if she almost didn't want to know.

"She made me swear to trade Henry for the _Jolly,"_ I replied, trying to shrug off the loss as a trivial detail.

"You traded your ship for Henry?" Emma asked softly, looking shocked. _How long would it take this lass to understand that I care for her? _I thought dejectedly.

"I did it for you, love," I replied without hesitation. "Everything I've done since the curse returned me to the bloody Enchanted Forest has been for you."

She leaned in first, and it was as if a magnet was drawing us closer to each other. A hesitant smile lit up her face as she leaned in closer. My heart began hammering as her lips parted, an invitation for me to kiss her.

And then I remembered Zelena's words, and I jumped away from Emma's embrace as if I'd been branded by fire. I couldn't kiss Emma because she would lose her powers. But if I didn't kiss her, Zelena would take our baby.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked slowly, confusion and hurt etched onto her face.

"Nothing, love," I tried to smile reassuringly, but Emma's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Fine. If you don't want to tell me, don't. But I know you're lying." Emma snapped before turning away and walking into David's apartment.

I could imagine how our lips would touch, gently at first, and how my good hand would go up to cradle her head. I could feel her pulling me closer to her by the lapels of my coat as she had in Neverland. But thanks to bloody Zelena, that wasn't going to happen.

David poked his head out of the door. "Hey, Hook, do you want to stay for dinner?" David asked, unaware of what had just transpired with Emma. "Mary Margaret made enough food to feed an army."

"Actually, mate, could we take a walk?" I asked hesitantly. "There's something you need to know."

"Sure," David closed the door behind him and began his way down the stairs with me following behind him.

"So, you and Emma, huh?" David asked musingly. "You better not put one toe out of line, Jones."

David's face remained friendly, but I clearly heard the lightly disguised threat in his tone.

"No worries, David." I said honestly. "I love Emma dearly and there isn't a thing in this world that I wouldn't do for her."

"I believe you." David said seriously. "Just remember that she is my little princess, even if she is the same age as Mary Margaret and I."

"How does that feel?" I asked David curiously. "How does it feel to be the same age as your daughter?"

"It's the strangest thing in the world." David replied honestly. "I keep thinking I need to protect my daughter, yet she is a fully grown woman. I failed her."

"You didn't fail her, mate," I said softly. "Even though Emma doesn't show it very often, she loves you and Mary Margaret dearly. She's just too scared to open herself up after being alone for so long."

"You know her very well," David reflected. "How much time do you two spend together anyways?"

"Not much," I replied sadly. "Emma's always been an open book to me, though."

"Is everything alright between the two of you?" David asked with concern. "I mean, the baby must complicate things, but have you talked about the future yet?"

"No, we haven't talked about anything yet, mate," I sighed in frustration. "I know nothing of being a father! I'm bloody Captain Hook! What if I accidently spear my child with my hook? What if-?"

"Hook, slow down," David said soothingly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "First off, no one is really ready to be a parent. You just have to be able to put your daughter first, and everything else will work out. And if you're really scared of hurting her, use the prosthetic hand."

"Mate, I'm not parent material," I remembered Blackbeard's taunts. "Even Blackbeard told me that."

"Wait, hold on. Blackbeard?" David asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hook, is there something you need to tell me?"

"Actually, there is, mate," I replied, nervously scratching behind my ear. "That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok, so talk," David said. "I'm listening."

"I'm sure you're wondering what I was up to in the missing year," I began. "I met a pirate named Blackbeard, who gave me a magic bean in exchange for my ship. Also, as fate would have it, Blackbeard happens to be my father."

"Blackbeard is your father?" David asked in surprise. "How did you not know your father until now?"

"He abandoned me as a little lad, mate," I sighed. "My older brother Liam was more of a father to me than Blackbeard ever was."

"I'm sorry about Liam, Hook," David looked at me sadly. "I know you were very close."

"Aye, we were," I sighed softly, feeling the ache of Liam's passing acutely. "Anyways, I was a bloody fool. I took the _Jolly Roger_ from Blackbeard, and he in turn took the bean. He imprisoned me on my own boat for several months, and finally gave me the bean with the promise that he would follow me here on _the Jolly Roger _and kill me."

"Hook, we've all made mistakes." David said fiercely. "The important thing is that we admit that we made a mistake and try to fix it."

"I'm not done, mate," I said grimly. "I met Blackbeard today on the _Jolly Roger_. I finally surrendered my ship to him in exchange for Henry. He made me swear on Emma's name to give him the _Jolly. _And once I did, Blackbeard turned into Zelena."

"What do you mean, turned into Zelena?" David asked, his brow creased in worry.

"I mean, she was disguising herself as Blackbeard." I sighed. "And she cursed me."

"What is your curse?" David asked. "Look, mate, you helped me survive in Neverland. I'm going to help you this time."

"Are you sure about that, mate?" I asked. "Zelena cursed my lips. The next time I kiss Emma, Emma's magic will be gone. But if I don't kiss Emma before she delivers the child, Zelena will steal my daughter."

"We aren't going to let that happen, Hook," David said fiercely. "We know something very important about Zelena now."

"And what is that?" I asked slowly, afraid of the answer.

"Emma is Zelena's weakness. Something about Emma scares Zelena." David smiled. "Emma is the key to defeating Zelena, which is why Zelena wants to eliminate her magic."

"Aye." I said softly. "She is the Savior, after all. We have to preserve Emma's magic."

"We can keep the baby from Zelena," David said confidently. "Regina can set up protection spells, making it impossible for Zelena to harm Emma or the baby. And while Emma gives birth, we will all protect the baby."

"You would do that, mate?" I asked, my voice choked up.

"Emma is my daughter, of course I would," David said firmly. "And even though I was surprised when I found out you were the father, I'm glad it's you."

"You are?" I asked in shock. David had been murderously angry upon finding out that I had gotten Emma pregnant.

"I know it didn't come off that way, but there is no one else I trust more to keep Emma safe besides myself." David smiled. "I'm sorry we all judged you."

"Thank you mate," I whispered into David's shoulder as he hugged me and patted my back firmly.

We walked in companionable silence back to the apartment. "What happened to Blackbeard, Hook?" David asked curiously. "Is Zelena keeping him prisoner?"

"She killed him," I replied. Now that I stopped to think about it, I didn't know how I felt about Blackbeard being dead. He may be my biological father, but he was never much of a father figure to me. I honestly couldn't say that I would miss him.

"I'm sorry, Hook," David said. "I know he was a real pain, but he was a father nonetheless."

"He threatened Emma," I remembered Blackbeard's threat clearly. "I can't say that I'm sad that Zelena dealt with him before he managed to come after me."

We reached the apartment door. David reached into his pocket for the key to unlock the door, and then fixed me with a firm gaze. "You should apologize to Emma," He said lightly, but I recognized a threat there all the same. "Pregnant women tend to be moody, but that doesn't mean you should keep Zelena's threat from her."

"Do you eavesdrop on Emma and I, mate?" I asked, keeping my voice light and friendly, but I was very concerned all the same.

"Hook, you and Emma aren't exactly quiet," David laughed. "And, besides, if you want privacy, you shouldn't be visiting my apartment this much."

"Fair enough, mate," I conceded, entering the apartment after David.

My eyes immediately sought out Emma. She was reclined on the couch, her feet propped up on the table. She and Mary Margaret were watching the strange moving picture box- no, _television, _I reminded myself, and eating something white right out of its carton.

"Love, what is that stuff?" I asked curiously, eyeing Emma's carton of the white food. It had flecks of brown and gold in it.

Emma gave me a look of complete astonishment. "Hook, its ice cream," Emma said with wide eyes. "Have you never had ice cream before?"

"Can't say that I have," I said with a grin, eager to try this strange food that seemed to please Emma so greatly.

"Ok, we're going to fix that now," Emma said.

I cautiously took the spoon full of ice cream from Emma and tried to bite into. "It's cold," I gasped, glaring at Emma as she _giggled _at me. I had never heard Emma giggle before. The little minx, she was enjoying my pain!

"It's called ice cream for a reason, Hook," David called from the kitchen with laughter in his voice.

"Shut it, Charming," I muttered. I chanced a look at Emma, and my anger melted away. How could I stay mad at her when she laughed and looked so bloody beautiful? I took another spoonful of the ice cream and took a bite of the sweet, being more careful this time around, and I couldn't help the tiny moan of satisfaction that escaped from my lips.

"Is it good?" Swan asked me, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.

I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right, so I merely shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"I know you like it," Emma smiled. "That's enough satisfaction for me."

Mary Margaret excused herself to go check on David. "I just need to go make sure he didn't burn the kitchen down," She said with a smile. "He's been in there for too long for my comfort."

Once her mother was out of earshot, Emma turned to me with a glare. "I haven't forgotten about our argument from earlier." She hissed. "I was only trying to keep up appearances for Mary Margaret. And let's face it; David doesn't need any more reasons to cut off your other hand."

"David and I have solved a majority of our differences," I said proudly. "And, love, I wouldn't expect to get off so easily."

"Good." Emma said promptly. "Now, tell me, what have you been trying to keep from me all day? And tell me about you and David being best mates now too."

"Demanding, aren't you, love?" I said with a roguish grin, but I quickly jumped into the story about Zelena pretending to be Blackbeard, and cursing my lips after I traded the Jolly Roger for Henry's life.

By the time I was done recounting my sob story, Emma was pacing in the living room, looking agitated and downright furious. "That green bitch," Emma hissed. "She pretended to be Blackbeard?"

"Aye, love. She knew that I was your weakness, and she was hoping to exploit that reality." I sighed in frustration, because I was now a liability to Emma. I had only been trying to protect her, Henry and the unborn lass, and now I was the cause of a huge problem.

"This isn't your fault." She said, as if reading my mind. "It's all Zelena. I'm just mad you didn't come to me right away! Did you not trust me?"

"I trust you to the ends of the world and back," I whispered. "I just didn't want to upset you, especially as you near the dangers of childbirth."

"What dangers? Hook, what on Earth are you talking about?" Emma asked in a baffled tone.

"I don't know what I would do if something happened to you while you deliver our child." I explained. "Childbirth is dangerous, love!"

"Hook, that is the least of our problems right now." Emma whispered, gently lowering herself down on the couch so she was sitting right next to me. She took my hand in both of hers and smiled. "Childbirth is not dangerous here. There are all sorts of technology to keep the mom and baby safe the whole time. Very few women die in childbirth in this world."

"Really?" I asked, not daring to believe her yet.

"Yes. I'll be fine," She smiled reassuringly. "Hook, did your… mother die in childbirth? Is that why you're scared for me?"

"Aye." I whispered, my eyes suddenly feeling moist. "I never even knew her."

"I'm so sorry," She whispered. She leaned into me comfortingly, still holding my sole hand in hers. "But I'll be fine. I gave birth to Henry before, did you forget about that?"

We were both quiet for a long time. I rubbed her distended belly comfortingly, relieved that she was still talking to me and not as mad as I feared she would be.

Emma pulled away from me suddenly, her eyes taking on an excited glint. She looked at me shyly for a moment before beginning. "Mary Margaret scheduled an appointment for me with Dr. Whale, which isn't awkward at all… Anyways, it's my last appointment before having the baby." She rambled on, her cheeks lighting up with a blush. "I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"What is the appointment for?" I asked, my mind racing through a hundred fearful possibilities. "Is something wrong?"

"No, silly, everything is fine." She laughed. "In this land, it's normal to go see a doctor frequently while pregnant. They can check on the baby and make sure everything is progressing normally. And the father of the child usually goes with. Only if you wanted to, I mean."

"I would love to, lass," I said with a huge grin, honored that she wanted me with her at such an important moment.

* * *

Emma and I arrived at the hospital bright and early the next morning. I had no idea what to expect. What did Emma mean when she said they would check on the baby?

Dr. Frankenstein, or Dr. Whale as he was known in this land, was waiting for Emma in a white room with a reclining chair and a huge machine. Emma immediately took a seat at the large chair and I sat on a rickety plastic chair near her.

"So, Emma, you're due in about a week," Dr. Whale was reading off a thick stack of papers. "Everything's been normal so far, right?"

I tuned out of the conversation, and as a result, didn't notice that Emma was calling my name until she shook my shoulder gently. I came back to with a little jump. "What's wrong, lass?" I asked groggily.

"Someone isn't awake yet," Dr. Whale said lightly. "Mr. Jones, we were going to open the ultrasound machine. It will allow you to see an image of your unborn child."

"What?" I asked, fully awake now and feeling more than a bit stupid. "How?"

"You'll see," Emma said with a smile. The doctor pressed some blue jelly on Emma's stomach that made her gasp. And then he waved some sort of strange stick connected to the huge machine over Emma's belly.

A grainy, black and white image appeared on the machine. Emma and Whale seemed totally enamored by this image, cooing at it and laughing softly. I squinted, desperately trying to make sense of the bloody image, but I saw nothing. After putting up with the ridiculousness of this situation for a couple more minutes, I finally snapped. "Emma, love, what the bloody hell is so important about the image?" I asked. "I don't understand what the fuss is about!"

Emma and Whale both laughed. "That is our child," Emma explained with a wide smile. "See, there's her head, and one of her arms kicking me!"

I slowly got off the plastic chair and inched closer to the machine. Finally, I could see the dark shape of a child- my child! - in the image. A thousand different emotions rushed through me in that moment. What had I done in my miserable three hundred years of pirating, murdering, pillaging and causing misery to deserve this? Against my will, I felt myself getting teary.

"Hook, are you OK?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Aye, love, never been better," I whispered as I returned to my seat.

"You're a big softie," Emma said with a little laugh. "Who would have known that the ferocious Captain Hook would tear up at the image of a baby?"

"Do you want a couple print-outs?" Dr. Whale asked in an awkward voice.

"Yeah, I'll give one to Mary Margaret and then we can keep one." Emma decided. "Thank you, Dr. Whale."

We left the hospital with me clutching the ultrasound printout in my hand. My eyes roamed over the perfect little nose and her tiny little fingers bunched into a fist. "She's perfect." I whispered. "Just like you, love."

We stopped at Granny's for a quick lunch before heading back to David's apartment. Mary Margaret had insisted that Emma move into her apartment so she could help Emma when the baby was born. Even though Mary Margaret hadn't included my name in the invitation, I found that I was spending most of my days in Mary Margaret's apartment with Emma.

"So, one more week, love?" I asked, feeling both excited and nervous.

"It could be sooner," Emma said while munching on a French fry. "The baby could come any day now!"

I swallowed nervously. "I don't know if I'm ready yet, love," I admitted honestly.

"No one is ever completely ready," Emma said reassuringly. "But I already know that you will be a great father."

"If you say so, love," I sighed.

"Hook, what if Zelena takes the baby?" Emma asked a couple minutes later. "Maybe we should just kiss. I would rather have my baby safe than my magic any day."

"No, love," I said sharply. "The whole town will protect this baby. Regina will put up every kind of protective spell around the hospital. And you know that all of Storybrooke would fight Zelena to protect your child."

"Are you sure we can protect her?" Emma whispered. "I just want to give her her best chance."

"She already has her best chance," I murmured reassuringly. "I would give up my life before letting Zelena take her."

"I trust you," Emma whispered, gently kissing my cheek and rubbing my knee below the table. She shifted her hand to her belly, and smiled up at me. "We _both _trust you."

* * *

**I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I stumbled into a lot of writer's block with this chapter, which is why it took me so long to write. I'm sorry about the delay. I already have the next chapter outlined, though, so I should be able to update faster. The next chapter is the biggie… we finally get to meet Emma and Hook's baby. I hope you like her name. :) **

**Hook and Charming need to become "mates" in the show. I need the writers to do that. A Hook/Charming bromance would be awesome, right? :)**

**Please leave me a review. It took me SO long to write this and I would love to hear some feedback from all of you! There are almost 200 followers to this story now, so I know I can get a lot of reviews.**

**If you have any questions/concerns, feel free to leave a review or a PM. Either way, I will get back to you as soon as I see the review. **

**Thank you! See you soon (hopefully!)**

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